Options
by Vanamo
Summary: You know how sometimes the whole world is against you? A series of events force Thirteen to take care of a three year old. Will be Camteen later on.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Set in what I hope will be the situation in season 6. Cameron and Chase are back on the team part time. Foreman is head of diagnostics. House is still in the loony bin, but he'll be back! Let me know what you think.

* * *

It was a chilly December night and the locker room at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital was deserted except for one unfortunate doctor. Cameron felt like she could fall asleep on the hard wooden bench right then and there. A series of car crashes from the ice and pneumonia from the cold had made it impossible for her to go home. But that was what being ER head was about, and she hadn't lost a single life today.

Donning her coat and walking quickly towards the door, she was so caught up in her thoughts she bumped right into her boss, Dr. Cuddy. Cameron kept her balance, but administrator wasn't so lucky, falling onto the floor.

"Oh my god, Dr. Cuddy, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying any attention." Cameron apologized as she helped the older woman up. Cuddy shook her head, laughing slightly. The amount of wrinkling in her suit jacket and tiredness on her boss's features told Cameron that she had also had a very busy day.

"Don't worry about it, Dr. Cameron. We were both at fault there. Are you heading out?" She asked.

"Um, yeah, I was. Why?" Cameron said, picking up her fallen purse.

"Would you do me a huge favor? I'm really sorry to ask, but the clinic is packed and Dr. Hadley is down there all by herself. The night doctors are having trouble getting in, with the roads and all, and Rachel has a cold and I-"

"Of course I could, Dr. Cuddy." She really needed to learn how to put her foot down, Cameron thought to herself.

Cuddy noted with interest how red Cameron's cheeks got at the mention of House's alluring fellow. She gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you, Dr. Cameron, I owe you one."

The clinic sported 10 or 12 odd people sniffling in chairs. Thirteen was currently juggling two folders in her right hand while trying to unlock the medicine cart with the other.

Thirteen caught sight of Cameron, and after giving an elderly man a prescription, made her way over to her.

"Cuddy begged you too?" Thirteen asked with a hint of breathlessness.

Cameron nodded. "Yeah, I didn't mind." She quickly scanned the room. "I was just going to do this House style?"

Thirteen smirked. To Cameron's surprise, she whacked folder in her hand the on the empty nurse's station. "Hey!" Everyone looked up and Thirteen put on her best reassuring, doctor smile. "Obviously, we're a bit short staffed. This is Dr. Cameron and I'm Dr. Hadley. Nobody likes waiting so we're going to try to go fast. If you have a stuffy nose, would you please raise your hand?" Everyone raised their hands.

Thirteen rolled her eyes. "It's a cold. Take some Motrin, go home and get some rest. Dr. Cameron will be around to examine you all just to make sure." Cameron smirked and took the first patient to an exam room. Thirteen leaned against the counter, quite winded after running around the clinic on top of her regular day. A bed upstairs wasn't sounding too bad tonight.

Movement caught Thirteen's eye. Previously obscured by a chair, a little girl was swinging her legs absentmindedly. She walked over and bent down to her eye level. "Sweetie?"

The child looked up, revealing large blue eyes under dark brown bangs. Thirteen smiled. "Is your mommy or daddy here with you?" The girl shook her head. She looked to be no more than two or three.

Confused, she asked again. Did the girl not understand her? "Did your mommy or daddy leave you here?"

The only response she got was a weak cough. Thirteen bit her lip before feeling her forehead. It was scorching. She hadn't noticed how pale the girl was.

Gently, she raised her up from the seat and carried her to an exam room. "My name is Remy. Can you tell me your name?"

Tiny arms wrapped tightly around her neck. "Sophie…" And with that the toddler was asleep.

Thirteen sighed heavily. Why did she attract such frustrating situations?


	2. Chapter 2

Cameron leaned against the nurses' station. Eleven cases of the common cold. House was right- the clinic was boring. She looked around- Thirteen was nowhere to be seen. She opened the door of the nearest exam room.

"Thirteen?"

She looked up. A small child was cradled in her arms, wrapped in a cooling blanket. "What's wrong with her?"

"Pretty high fever, probably the flu, but I'm admitting her." Her usually feisty eyes looked out of focus. Cameron sat on the exam table next to her.

"What's wrong with _you_?" She asked in a more sensitive tone.

Thirteen ran her fingers through Sophie's dark hair before lifting it off her neck. "I think she's been abused. Someone abandoned her here." Cameron's breath caught in her throat. There were bruises over almost all the skin visible.

"Thanks for your help." Thirteen said after a moment and made to leave. Cameron grabbed her free wrist. "Wait."

It was now or never. "I was, um, wondering if you wanted to get some coffee. With me, I mean."

Thirteen's mouth hung open a bit. Did Cameron just ask her out? "It's like -5 out there, the roads are covered in ice…and you want to go get coffee?"

"No, I didn't mean- I just" Great, she was screwed.

"Cameron, I'm kidding." She gave the older doctor a reassuring smile. Cameron really needed to get some sleep. Or get laid.

The blonde started again. "I just meant that, you know, with Kutner and House gone, all the changes. You and Foreman, Chase and I…" She trailed off. "Since we'll be working together with our exes, we should try to stick together and maybe get to know each other better."

Thirteen sighed and shook her head slightly. "You could have just said that. Yes, I'd love to have coffee with you, Cameron. But in light of the circumstances, would you settle for hospital coffee and a Disney movie in her room?" She nodded to Sophie, who was drooling slightly on Thirteen's lab coat.

"You're staying overnight?" Cameron asked.

"I don't trust the Pediatric nurses. One of the girls asked me out after I dumped Foreman and I turned her down, so she decided to delete all the paperwork I had to catch up on. So for the next week I had Cuddy and Foreman giving me grief about it." She explained as they walked through the now deserted clinic.

"Wow, what a bitch." Thirteen gaped at her. "What?"

"I have never heard you swear before! I'm surprised at you, Dr. Cameron." She gave her a little hit on the arm.

"You think I'm that innocent?" They stepped into the elevators.

"All I know about you concerning your personality is that you care about your patients, love broken people, and seduce heartthrobs on your team when you're high." Thirteen deadpanned.

The older doctor rolled her eyes. "Where did you hear that last one?"

"From Taub, who heard it from Chase during a surgery." They were finally to Pediatrics. Thirteen laid the kid down in bed and started attaching the various wires and tubes.

"I'm going to go try to find some of that coffee you were talking about. See you in ten?" Thirteen nodded as Cameron shut the door behind her. She let her mind wander back to Sophie- might as well wake her up now.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sophie? It's Dr. Remy. Can you open your eyes for me?"

Sophie opened her eyes and coughed in response. Remy smiled softly and put on her best motherly voice. "Sophie, you're in the hospital. I know you don't feel good, but can you answer a few of my questions? We're going to make you all better."

After a moment, Sophie nodded. Remy brushed a few locks of hair off her sweaty face. "Okay, I'm going to listen to your lungs, can you lean forward and take deep breaths?" Sophie did as she was asked and Remy listened with the stethoscope. She quickly frowned. "Does that hurt, Sophie?"

The child nodded slightly. Remy pulled out a thermometer and took her temperature. A few seconds later, 103.1 flashed. At the same moment, Cameron walked in.

Remy sighed gratefully. "High fever, and with the wheezing, she more than likely has pneumonia. I'm starting her on antibiotics. Can you call Cuddy for me and tell her the situation?" She asked, not taking her eyes away from the sick child. This didn't go unnoticed by Cameron.

"Sure. I brought you something to drink if you want it." All she got was a nod. Cameron sighed. You can't get between a sick child and her doctor. It was a bond stronger than most doctor-patient relationships- something Cameron knew well herself. All the same, she pulled out her cell to call Cuddy.

* * *

The circles under Thirteen's eyes made her practically a raccoon. She only vaguely remembered walking through the doors that morning at 7, now that it was 2:15 am. The labs to confirm pneumonia had taken what felt like ages, but afterwards she had started Sophie on the standard treatment. Cameron had texted her that she was going to crash on one of the beds in the on-call room, and right now she couldn't think of anything more inviting than sleep, especially next to the blonde doctor.

She checked Sophie's vitals once more. The child whimpered in her sleep slightly as Remy's fingers brushed through hair. It was all the more surprising to her when she started all out crying in her sleep. Her heart rate and BP climbed- a nightmare?

Thirteen tried to wake her as gently as possible. Sophie's eyes burst open and looked around frantically- apparently searching for her attacker. She relaxed slightly when she saw Remy peering down at her in the dim light. She reached out her arms to touch her.

Thirteen closed her eyes in resignation. This is why she wasn't good with kids. She got too attached.

She slipped off her heels –she would definitely have blisters after wearing them for 18 hours – and climbed into the small bed, cradling the three year old maternally in her arms. This seemed to relax her a little more.

"It's okay, they can't get you. They'll never hurt you again."


	4. Chapter 4

"Well _this_ is a sight I'd never thought I'd see."

Thirteen jerked awake, banging her head on the wall behind the bed. "Ow..." She groaned.

Cuddy had tried to pull off a stern look, but there was a sliver of amusement in her eyes. She entered the room as Thirteen tried to get out of the bed without disturbing Sophie, whose face had a little more color.

"I get a call from Foreman that you weren't in the diagnostics department yet. So, I check the clinic to rule out another quick hangover cure, and then checked the ER. That's when Cameron tells me you're up in Pediatrics. I've got to say, you look like hell, Remy." Thirteen raised her eyebrows at the use of her first name. Cuddy was looking at her with pity now more than anything.

At least she wouldn't have to worry about getting fired today. It was great to know that her boss thought_ so _highly of her. "What else did Cameron tell you?" She asked.

"Everything you forgot to write on her chart, apparently." Cuddy said as she looked over the folder. "I already made a call to DCF, they'll try to identify her and get to the bottom of it."

Rustling in the bed turned their attention back to the bed. The child started to cry and Thirteen rushed back to her side. "What's wrong?" She asked. Sophie firmly latched onto Thirteen's arms, forcing her to sit back down.

"Oh no…" Cuddy said under her breath.

"What?"

"Were you alone with her all this time?" She asked.

Thirteen thought for a moment. "Cameron was with me when I brought her up to Pediatrics, and there were people in the clinic but she was seated far away from them. Why?"

Many abused children, especially before age five, develop attachment disorders. Has she always been overly affectionate towards you? If she has, it could be attributed to RAD or some other psychiatric condition…or you're the only one who has ever shown her affection and she can't let you go. " Cuddy said softly, preparing for the explosion.

"What?" _Boom._ "No way, no way. I-I love kids and all, but- no, you're wrong. She's probably just delusional from the fever." Thirteen shook her head, right back to her cool, emotionless self.

"You'd rather believe that a child was delusional or in need of therapy rather than that you're not totally cynical?" She asked incredulously.

"Absolutely," Thirteen deadpanned. "And she doesn't have an attachment disorder. You're reading into it too much, Dr. Cuddy. Sick children often show affection for their doctors, look at Wilson. What did you come to tell me, anyway?"

Cuddy crossed her arms. "I was going to tell you to take care of your patient here. But since you feel the need to be such a smartass so early in the morning, you can do four extra hours of clinic duty by the end of the week. "

Thirteen smacked her forehead as soon as Cuddy had left the room. She asked again, why her?

"Momma?"

The voice startled her. She looked down at Sophie, who was staring at her wide-eyed.

"Sophie, I'm not your mother. I'm Dr. Remy, remember?"

"Momma." Sophie said resolutely. She wrapped her arms around Thirteen's neck and clung on tight, smiling.

Thirteen pulled out her pager and texted Cameron. 'HELP.'

* * *

A/N: Ha, cliffhanger! I never expected such positive feedback! It's safe to say I was freaking out. I appreciate the story alerts and love everyone who reviewed. I know, you're thinking 'wtf?' with those last few lines, but it has a purpose, trust me. I've got it written up to chapter 7, but all of the chapters are relatively short. I'm very motivated now, so I'll try to update frequently. There will be a lot of background info and comedy in the next few chapters. The romance should be on its way by chapter 9.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I have to say that the last chapter was probably my least favorite. I figured I had to put Cuddy in sometime, and she's very authoritive over Thirteen in their interactions on the show. I love Cuddy, really, and I hated writing her giving extra clinic hours. There will be a lot of information in chapters 6-8 about what happened after the season 6 finale. I can't say for sure when House will return but it will happen! The Goonies (Foreman, Chase, and Taub) will be brought into play sometime after chapter 10.

CdnGirl01: shorter chapters are just more comfortable to me right now, they might get longer though. I like the suspense. Thanks for reviewing!

WARNING: Lots of swearing. Thirteen is a bit PMS here. Enjoy my dry attempts at humor.

* * *

"This is _not_ what I meant, Cameron!" Thirteen hissed as the DCF worker looked at Sophie's hospital chart. They were standing next to the bed after a fierce battle to get Sophie to let go of Thirteen. Cuddy was by the door again while the fat foster care worker asked questions.

"You texted 'help', what did you want me to do?" Cameron whispered back, equally annoyed. The DCF worker looked like the last place she wanted to be was here, and they couldn't agree more.

"All you had to do was come up here, untangle the kid from me, and be the compassionate doctor you are to her for a few minutes while i snuck out the window!" Thirteen was starting to think someone was intentionally punishing her. Maybe House had died in the mental hospital last night and was tormenting her from hell.

"I was a little busy stitching up cracked skulls." She replied, "Sorry."

"Dr. Ree-my Hayd-ley?" The DCF worker asked.

"It's Remy Hadley." She corrected, sounding it out. How the hell did you mess that up? Was this bitch intentionally being moronic?

"Right, whatever… It says here you're a registered foster parent with the state of New Jersey." The woman read over some of the papers on her clipboard.

"I am," Thirteen replied, confused. "But it was only because I had to take care of my niece while her father was in Iraq for three months. What does that have to do with anything?"

"It also says that this child has already formed a bond with you. Great, you can be her foster parent while we investigate the abuse." She gave her a shit-eating grin. Cuddy and Cameron gaped at her like she was a Martian.

"WHAT? No way, no fucking way! You can't just-"

"I'll send the paperwork to the hospital, have a nice day!" The woman stuffed all her papers back into her cheap leather briefcase, totally ignoring her, and left the room.

"What the fuck?! Fuck you!" Thirteen gave her the finger and shouted a few other words that made the nurses stop and cover the children's ears.

"Dr. Hadley! May I remind you that you are in a hospital, the Pediatric ward more specifically, not a bar!" Cuddy reprimanded her, taken aback by the younger doctor's behavior.

"They can't just expect me to take in some kid I don't even know, Dr. Cuddy. No less one that thinks I'm her mother!" Thirteen retorted.

"Calm down both of you before I escort one of you down to the ER!" Cameron said loudly, startling them both. She stepped in between them and turned to Cuddy. "Dr. Hadley apologizes for her behavior. I personally know that she's had less than eight hours of sleep in the past 48 hours. And-" She turned to Thirteen. "-she will be more than happy to do her clinic hours and take care of this child as a doctor _and _as a foster parent. _Right?"_

Cameron's death glare was not something you'd like to be subject to. Thirteen hung her head, defeated. "Fine." She mumbled.

Cameron patted both of their shoulders. "Now, if you'll excuse me. Diagnostics has a patient that needs a biopsy." She dragged Cuddy out by the wrist so there would be no further arguments in front of the sick child.

Thirteen sunk down in the seat next to the bed. Sophie grabbed her sleeve with her tiny hand and grasped it firmly, as if to say 'You're stuck with me.'

"Kill me now." Thirteen muttered under her breath.


	6. Chapter 6

Ok, I couldn't wait! But I figured I needed to reward the 6 wonderful people who reviewed chapter 5 with a nice, long plot advancing chapter. But from now on, I'll need to stick to one a day or I'll enevitably fall behind. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

* * *

Some hours later, Cameron stopped by Sophie's hospital room. The scene before her was surprising to say the least. Thirteen was curled up in day old clothes on a hospital chair. Her hair was messy and she looked like she could use a shower, but was still adorable. Glancing at the monitors, she saw that Sophie's fever had gone down considerably. Unable to resist, she took a picture of the scene with her cell phone before shaking Thirteen awake.

Thirteen smacked her hand gently. "Mm…go 'way." She scrunched up her nose and readjusted her position – too cute. Cameron bent down by her ear. "Thirteen!"

"Ho!" The brunette's eyes shot open and she sat straight up. "What the hell, Cameron?" What'd I ever do to you?" Why did everyone insist on waking her up so violently?

Cameron just grinned. "I had to wake you up. What else was I supposed to do?"

Thirteen rolled her eyes and disregarded the question. "Why are you here?"

Cameron took a seat at the end of the bed. "I thought I'd fill you in on the day, since you're chained to the bedside." She handed her the coffee and apple she'd brought.

"I love you," Thirteen said solemnly, gulping down the coffee and shoveling down the apple. Cameron looked away. "Oh, sorry, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. I'm starving."

Thirteen wasn't aware that Cameron had actually tried to hide her blush from her earlier statement. "No worries. In short, diagnostics didn't have a patient so I stayed down in the ER all day, thank god. I really didn't want to have to deal with Chase."

Thirteen shot the apple core at the wastebasket, smiling when it slam-dunked. "I'm sure he can't be that bad. Foreman was only awkward for about a week after we broke up."

"Divorce is different. It comes attached with a mountain of paperwork and the dividing of furniture, bank accounts… I don't know why I even married him in the first place, you know?" Cameron continued, playing with a few loose threads in the blanket absentmindedly.

"Well no, I've never been married, but I know what you mean with being in a relationship without passion." Thirteen replied.

"You and Foreman were like that?"

She nodded. "It sucked. We had a whole two month awkward period where he flirted with me. Then, he risked his career to give me a drug that made me blind. If the make-up sex hadn't been so great I would have dumped him right then. But…I figured, if I stop self-destructing and we get along, why not? But we never got along, never talked. After Kutner died, I started cheating. Now, I'm pissed off more than anything because I wasted almost a whole year on him."

"That's what a lot of relationships boil down to, tolerance and convenience. My relationship with Chase was most fun when we were just friends with benefits and he was wooing me. "Cameron said.

Thirteen smiled to herself. "This is why I like women. There's always passion, and your lover is also your best friend. You can even wear each other's clothes."

"Men are stable, Women are fun." Cameron agreed.

Thirteen's head shot up. "Oh my god, I knew it. I so knew my gaydar wasn't off!" She smiled in amazement.

"What? No, I'm not bisexual, I just meant-"She was blushing, she could feel it.

"You can't dig yourself out of that one, Cameron! You look at that new ER nurse way too long to just be looking at her jeans. Does House know?" Thirteen was acting like a bubbly teenager who just got told the latest high school gossip.

Cameron hid her face in her hand, a line of swear words running steadily through her mind. "No, he never figured it out. I was practically celibate until I started sleeping with Chase. If you tell House, I'll tell him you tried to seduce Cuddy." She mumbled.

"No you wouldn't. If I tried to seduce Cuddy, she'd be pinned to the desk and moaning my name before security could get there. "Thirteen smirked. "And I know you can picture that, Cameron. "If possible, Cameron's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink.

Thirteen stood up and plopped down on the bed next to her. "So, what do I get in exchange for keeping your secret?"

"You _cannot_ be thinking of spreading that around the hospital! How did you feel when House outed you?" Cameron scoffed.

Thirteen shrugged. "I didn't care, the only reason Foreman knew was because he overheard me flirting with a nurse. Wait, you're not all the way in the closet, are you?"

"Of course not, I just prefer that it's not a big deal. Besides, do you really want people comparing us on _that_ too?" She almost started praying that Thirteen would see reason…or have a case of spontaneous amnesia about the last ten minutes.

Thirteen stood up silently, closed the blinds, and locked the door.

"What are you doing?" Cameron asked, feeling like she was in one of those horror movies where the girl got sliced up with a foot long knife by a maniac.

Thirteen crossed her arms. "I'll keep your secret. But in exchange, you have to do something for me."

Cameron shouldn't have been surprised at the blackmail. It was something that came naturally after working with House, best not to argue. "What would that be?"

"It's your fault that I have to look after that munchkin. So, before she's released, you'll help me go shopping and then we'll go out to dinner." Thirteen said confidently.

"…A date?" Cameron asked after a moment.

"A date."

"With you?"

"Yes, with me."

"Like, an actual date?"

"_Yes,_ Cameron, an actual date, in the flesh, me and you, shopping and eating dinner. It's not brain surgery. "

What else could she say?

"…Ok. I'll go on a date with you."

Thirteen would be the death of her.

* * *

I'll tell you right now, I'm extremely evil and will mess that date up in every convoluted way imaginable.


	7. Chapter 7

After a long, tear-filled battle with the munchkin, as she now referred to Sophie, Thirteen was finally home. She showered, ate and collapsed in that order. How the hell did she get into this? Oh yeah, an underpaid, uncaring social worker decided to stick her with a three year old, rudely interrupting her plans to try and attract Cameron. The only reason they were going on a date was because she had blackmailed her. Cameron also probably felt sorry for her - the young, dying doctor who got stuck taking care of an abused toddler.

It's not that she had anything against children. She even kind of liked this one. A resident from psych did a preliminary examination of her that evening after she had bribed Sophie with chocolate. She appeared to have some memory loss when he asked her about her parents, but he declared that she showed no signs of any mental disorders other than 'a strong affection for intimidating strangers'. Well, she'd reset his locker combination before she left, because that's what intimidating strangers did to screw with people. The results of the exam were both a huge relief and a total scare.

She was just way too messed up these days to ever think of a child in her life. Her cousin had to practically beg her to take her niece, and that was before she tested herself for Huntington's. The entire three months, she thought 'what if he dies over there and I'm stuck with her?' She knew that if she started displaying symptoms, she would scar the girl for life before the foster system would move her to another home. Luckily, her eleven year old niece was one of those rare kids that you give a book to or stick in front of the TV and they'd shut up. She had even known how to make her own Mac & Cheese. She somehow doubted this would be the same case.

Her mind flashbacked to a conversation she had had with Foreman many months ago, before they went downhill.

"_Are you going to help or what?" He asked. They were there to look for any sources of infection or toxins in the classroom where a teacher for special needs children had collapsed. _

_She was watching two of the smiling students make bugs out of silly string and pipe cleaners. "I want kids." She said suddenly. _

"_Um…I think these kids are already spoken for." He tried to cover up his surprise with humor, which was like him. _

_She smiled at him. "Not now, but since we're dating I just thought you should know." _

"_I thought, because of your illness…" _

"_So did I. I mean, when I didn't know if I had it or not I just assumed I couldn't take the chance. But now…Even though I know I have it, it feels like… an option." He looked at her for a few seconds, expressionless, and then continued to swab the air vent. _

That was one of the happiest times in her life since she had been diagnosed. She was in a stable relationship, on a drug trial, feeling in control. Then, because she had confided that information in Foreman, he switched her onto the real drug and the shit hit the fan. She hadn't thought about it since.

Did she really have that option of having a kid? Adoption and in-vitro, the only guarantees of not passing her bad genes on, were costly, time consuming, and walking a fine ethical line. Could she bear to put a kid through such a traumatic childhood?

Then again, she hadn't turned out _that _bad. She had a good job, a nice place, wasn't doing drugs (anymore). Her mother was the reason she became a doctor, what drove her to take risks and not waste a single day.

Thirteen sighed and turned over. She really needed to stop all this self-reflecting crap before bed. She'd worry about it on Saturday, when Sophie would be coming to stay with her. Before that was her date with Allison. That definitely took priority.

* * *

Some days after work, Cameron would have liked nothing more than an amazing massage and a glass of red wine. Unfortunately, this was one of those days and she could do neither.

She had finally managed to convince Thirteen to go home and get some rest. Both of them were relieved when Sophie's fever broke and she started referring to Thirteen as Dr. Remy. She could picture Thirteen as a mother though, as weird as that sounded. She momentarily pushed the young brunette out of her mind as she climbed into bed.

Cameron's life had been hectic these last few months. She'd gotten married, gotten a new job with her husband, and then divorced said husband. Maybe she was unconsciously like House and enjoyed misery. That was her past few months in a word: misery. She'd be lying if she said it hadn't started until after Kutner killed himself, it was before that.

She always got her kicks from flirting and playing hard to get. In high school, she was the pretty, nice to everyone, all-American girl, solely because that's what her parents expected of her. In college, she explored her wild side. Somehow she pulled through her studies, but she spent a lot of her time at clubs, flirting with any girls who would show her a good time. Those were the fun years.

Then, her best friend got sick. They had known each other since she was ten. Unlike other boys who wanted to be police officers or President, he wanted to get married. That was his goal in life, live simply and happily with his wife. The Make a Wish Foundation couldn't grant it, so what could she do? They got married, and six months later he was dead. Was he happy in his last moments? She thought so. Because for those six months, she convinced herself so much that she loved him that when he finally died, she actually did.

She had wanted to be a doctor since she was five. After her husband died, she practically was one. She was three months into medical school and had nowhere to go but down that road. Whoever said your twenties were the best times of your life?

Working for House was adventurous and challenging. When she came out of her three year fellowship, she felt older, wiser. She enjoyed that feeling for about five hours before heading to Chase's house.

Their whole relationship felt like little more than a high school fling. The boy was immature, annoying at times, bought her flowers, and was good in bed. Some days she would wake up next to him completely happy. Others, she would sigh and think, 'What am I doing here?'

Then, there was the aftermath of Kutner's suicide. Everything changed after that day, for everyone. She often asked herself why, after all the arguing and distrust the week after exposed, did she still ask Chase to propose? She had given it a lot of thought. It was one of those things that she did, talking to herself in an empty room or right before she fell asleep, and she finally found a reasonable rationalization.

She had become 'her husband's wife' _so_ much that she had resigned herself to that life even though that wasn't the life she had wanted. If Chase had just understood that, maybe they wouldn't have fought so much. She couldn't stand the thought of two children and a nice house in the suburbs, which is what he immediately pushed her for. She loved him, but he wasn't worth that much sacrifice. Honestly, she felt that if she sacrificed anymore of herself there would be nothing left.

She got up, went to the kitchen, and poured herself some orange juice. Often she found herself unable to sleep until some unreasonable early morning hour. Lack of sex, she supposed. Chase always pushed for it so she had gotten used to living on six hours of sleep.

She thought about Thirteen again for awhile. God, she really liked this girl. And she had no idea what to do about it.

* * *

**EDIT: SORRY, I found a typo that bothered me to no end. Nuetralized. **Wow, long chapter huh? That line from Big Baby inspired this whole story, hence the name Options (No Foreteen of course, eww!). Originally this was two separate chapters, I just decided to get all the hard thinking out of the way. Cameron's part was a pain, since Thirteen is so much easier to write. Now, I'm totally split as to what to do next. Should I wreck their date a little, a lot, or make so much chaos it can hardly be called a date? I've written every scene of it, it's just a matter of which order they go in. But there will be romance and a little fluff regardless! Thank you so much everyone for reviewing and alerting and various other stuff! We finally get some action in the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

*crosses fingers* Don't kill me for what I'm about to do.

* * *

"Oh, Cameron," Thirteen called as she walked into the diagnostics room, "I hope you're ready for tomorrow, there's this great Italian place I want to try."

The men immediately stopped talking. All eyes were suddenly on Cameron. Thirteen took a seat next to her, very tempted to take her hand.

"Are you two going somewhere?" Taub asked, amused by the visions in his head. Foreman and Chase took a minute more to recover. Thirteen nodded affirmatively, smiling.

"You're going out with her?" Chase's voice was abruptly much higher.

Cameron suddenly felt like the room was very small – odd considering the open glass walls and large windows. Everyone was staring at her – Taub smirking, Foreman unreadable, Chase, oh god, he looked like she killed his dog. Thirteen – Thirteen, she'd kill her! How could she stand there with that grin plastered on her face! She might as well pop some vicodin and make a few cane jokes to top it off!

"Can we talk?" Cameron said bitterly through her teeth. Thirteen smiled and followed her out, giving the boys a little amused shrug. Taub was grinning widely while Chase and Foreman looked like stone statues.

She led them to the doctor's lounge and closed the door. Thirteen sat on the arm of the couch.

"Why the _hell_ did you do that?!" She screamed. Thirteen continued to smile. God, couldn't she see how pissed off she was? Cameron grabbed her wrist. "Why?!"

Thirteen met her fiery gaze unblinkingly for a full minute, her look of indifference fading. Suddenly she swiftly flipped them both onto the couch, with herself on top. Her eyes became darker as she said enticingly, "Because you wanted me to, Allison…" Her breath made Cameron shiver.

Neither was sure who initiated the kiss, but before they realized it, they were hungrily attacking each other's mouths, breathing heavily. Feelings built up over the last few months finally exploded in the course of three minutes. Oh, god, she was such a good kisser.

Cameron broke away when Thirteen started caressing her thigh. "Stop," She panted, "The door is unlocked."

Thirteen buried her face in the crook of Cameron's neck, kissing her eagarly. "Let them see," She whispered.

Cameron sat up, effectively making Thirteen back away a few inches. The brunette tilted her head to the side, a total puppy face.

Cameron sighed lightly. "Don't look at me like that. I'm still mad at you." She tried to use her firm voice again, but found it impossible. Why did she have to be so cute? It was impossible to ignore her.

"So, on our date," Thirteen asked sweetly, "Is Italian okay?"

"I will answer that… _after_ you tell me why you exposed our relationship to the whole diagnostics department." Cameron said carefully.

"We have a relationship?" Thirteen's eyes lit up. Damn, she had been caught.

"I will answer that afterwards too." Cameron was biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from kissing her right then.

Thirteen nodded before beginning. "I knew that you either liked me or pitied me. I figured that they would find out somehow, and if it was the second one, you would dump me. So I told them before it even started…" Her beautiful blue eyes met Cameron's. "And you haven't dumped me yet." She gave her a hopeful smile.

Cameron leaned into kiss her, but stopped just short, looking right into her eyes. "I think Italian sounds great."

Thirteen was about to close the remaining distance when her pager went off. The suddenness made them jump, falling into each other and tangling their limbs.

Thirteen was the first to get out of their human pretzel. They were both laughing like maniacs, despite the ruined 'moment'. The grin faded quickly from the brunette's face as she read the page.

"They found Sophie's parents," She whispered, "In the morgue at Princeton General. They were killed in a car crash two days ago."

* * *

Happy ending? Yeah right. The next chapter is really short so I'll be posting 2. Date in 10 and 11!


	9. Chapter 9

Diagnostics was experiencing an elongated dry spell of patients, which hadn't helped Thirteen avoid Pediatrics. She had tried to work in the clinic or ER, but Cuddy and Cameron, respectively, kicked her out and up to Sophie's room. Her bruises and memory loss could be explained by the crash, so the DCF investigation turned from abuse to searching through AMBER alerts and questioning neighbors.

Thirteen had barely walked through the door of Pediatrics when she was tackled from the knees down. She stumbled a little, but kept her balance.

"Dr. Remy!" Sophie was firmly latched on and her weight was digging her uncomfortable enough heels into her feet. Damn, that hurt!

"Hi munchkin," She said, smiling. "I see you're feeling better."

Sophie nodded enthusiastically, "Much, MUCH better!"

"Much, MUCH better, huh?" Thirteen bent down and scooped the child up into her arms. "Why don't we go back to your room? I need to talk to you for a bit."

"Well, we're still trying to find your family," She _couldn't _tell her they were dead. They still were looking for any other relatives. To lose your parents, even ones you couldn't remember, was tragic. "Until then, how would you like to live with me?"

The child went wide eyed, and then hugged her with the force of a projectile missile. "YAY! I GET TO LIVE WITH DR. REMY!"

She kept her in her arms for a few moments, enjoying the feeling, before standing up again. "In the mean time, would it be okay if we made sure you were _extra_ better?" Since she was Sophie's doctor, it was her job to now do a full work up to check for any residual damage from the crash. Memory loss could mean head trauma.

"Can we get ice cweam after?" The little girl asked, almost out of that three year old energizer bunny.

"Yes, Ice cream after…" Thirteen said softly.

"M'kay." Sophie replied, snuggling into the scratchy fabric of her lab coat.

More than likely, this would only be for a few days. Then they'd find a grandmother or an aunt, someone she knew, and it'd all come back to her. She would never see this little brat again.

Until then, she couldn't be happier.

* * *

Ok, so it's really short, but not too much angst. That was even a little fluffy, right? The next three chapters are fluffy too. Originally Sophie wasn't as articulate, but I figure she's just old enough to stop talking like a baby. It's totally cute to hear but a real pain to read and write. I'm hitting a bit of a block on this story, so I'm only posting this chapter today and working on another very 'interesting' story. But,if I get it back by tonight I'll post the whole date at once as a you everyone for reviewing. Really, 9 reviews on the last one! You guys rock.


	10. Chapter 10

Ok, this has nothing to do with the story but I need to rant. So I was really inspired all yesterday, then I learn my dad got laid off for the third time this year. So, damn. Then I go to my orientation and my blonde 23 year old Biology Honors teachers is a total bitch (not even in a hot way!) and gives us a week to do a 2-5 page essay on a 200 page book written by a nutjob with a phD who came up with a wackadoo theory way out of left field and has also made it his mission to discover planet Krypton for gene replacemant and try to cure HIV. What the hell? So i'm abstaining on principle and will probably fail for it. Ok, I'm done. Sorry. Enjoy.

* * *

It was safe to say that Cameron was freaking out. But she had a decent enough reason. Thirteen, the mysterious, bisexual, alluring 20-something brunette of diagnostics, was taking her out on a date. They had almost done it in the doctor's lounge, so the feelings were definitely there, but a million questions ran through her mind. She was going to be here sometime around four and it was 3:45. Where were they going? What about Sophie, the child they were shopping for in the first place, was she coming? Should she wear her lace lingerie? Oh god, she did not just think that. She fell back onto the bed, staring at the stark white ceiling of her new apartment.

"Fuck!" She swore as she heard the doorbell. She pulled on a slightly nicer blue top and dark wash jeans that always made Chase stare at her ass. She checked her appearance in the mirror – ok, not hideous – before answering the door.

"Hey," Oh my god…"You ready to go?"

Thirteen looked gorgeous. Her clothes at work were always elegant with a little quirk (those suspenders _were_ a quirk, even if they were so hot she wanted to rip them right off) but this woman knew how to impress her. Hell, if they moved in together she'd throw out her wardrobe and wear Thirteen's clothes all the time. She didn't just picture them moving in together.

She was wearing a form fitted dark blue jacket, flowing grey top, and black slacks that made her legs look even longer. Her make-up – she hardly needed any, really, she was so beautiful – made her want to skip the date and get right to the kissing.

It took her a minute to remember she had a voice. "Uh, yeah," Thirteen had _definitely_ caught her staring, with the amused grin on her face. "Um, you look great."

"You don't look too bad yourself." Thirteen commented as Cameron shut the door behind her. "Thank you for helping me with this…even if I bribed you into it."

"Well after yesterday you should know I kind of wanted to come anyway." The blonde smiled flirtatiously.

Thirteen rolled her eyes. "No one can resist my charm."

They reached Thirteen's car and started driving downtown. "You're very full of yourself."

"Only at stuff I don't make a fool of myself at." Thirteen assured her. "So, I was thinking I'd just get her some clothes and a couple toys. You probably know a lot more about that stuff than I do."

"What makes you think that?" Cameron asked.

"You seem like the type to want kids." She replied nonchalantly.

Cameron nodded slightly. "I'd always wanted one, just never had the chance. Chase pushed right for them right away – it made me feel like I wasn't enough for him. He…made me get rid of my husband's sperm, so even if I wanted to, I can't now." When she had filed for the divorce, the whole realization on what she had done had hit her pretty hard. It was one of her worse hangovers in years.

"I never thought he was right for you, you know." Thirteen said after a moment. "I thought, 'As long as he makes her happy, I'm okay with it.', but if you weren't happy…I would have tried to blackmail you months ago."

Cameron silently clasped her hand that wasn't driving and squeezed it. Their pasts weren't something they needed to dwell on, they both agreed on that. They were together before their 'date' ever started, and they'd do all in their power to keep it that way. Maybe they'd even be able to bring Sophie into their lives.

* * *

Ok, so they only started the date, but there was foreshadowing right? I didn't want the date chapter to be obsessively long.

mama2four: oh gosh, I totally forgot about the car seat! edited and will be in the next chapter, thank you!

WonderousPlaceForAnEcho: I know, Cameron plays a larger role in the next few chapters. Thanks for reviewing :)

bigblusky: Thirteen's just adjusting to all the sudden change. There will be some more Sophie fluff after the date.


	11. Chapter 11

Ok, I"ve committed a necessary evil and put a song in this chapter, because I won't have them dance to something without words. Its called Electric Twist by A Fine Frenzy and belongs to whatever record company released it. Don't sue me or else I can't buy their new album coming out in a week.

* * *

Shopping was quite an experience. A lot of people gave them odd looks since they didn't look like anything sisters and were too close for best friends. They ignored them for the most part, and after three hours they had spent almost their entire budget on various clothes and toys they thought Sophie would like. They weren't sure how long Sophie would be staying, so they refrained from buying a bed. Cuddy had told her what kind of car seat to get – something they both completely forgot about. Thirteen had decided to tackle grocery shopping on her own. Cameron definitely had fun choosing the clothes, which made Thirteen grateful for taking her. She avoided shopping unless she needed something, and could only pray that they got the correct sizes.

It was eight by the time they ate dinner. The club was very modern and in a trendy neighborhood. The walls were clean, exposed brick and had high, baroque ceilings with soft lighting. Even the music suited Cameron's taste. The tables ran along the side, creating an open hardwood dance floor.

Cameron had chicken arugula with parmesan and cherry tomatoes while Thirteen stood strong by her all time favorite, lasagna. The dinner conversation was light, not forced like other dates with their exes. They avoided harder topics and mostly told funny stories about their experiences as doctors. For desert they had the club's special, vanilla cake with banana, strawberries, and whipped cream drabbled with chocolate all in a shot glass – surprisingly exquisite. By the end of the meal, Cameron acquired the knowledge that Thirteen worked in Miami before moving up north, Grew up in Connecticut, and loved classic movies. She was tempted to sell such precious information to the CIA.

A quirky, moderate beat started playing on the stereos. It was getting later so many people were moving to the bar or dancing. A smile broke out onto Thirteen's face. She stood up, "I love this song. May I have this dance?" Cameron took her hand and let Thirteen lead her out to the center of the floor.

_You should be wilder, you're no fun at all_

_Yeah, thanks for the input_

_Thanks for the call _

Cameron felt like she was in high school when they played the number one radio hit and everyone just went crazy. Thirteen took her in her arms and spun her around, making her feel like the luckiest girl alive.

_Don't think don't talk don't think_

_Don't think don't talk don't think_

_Don't think don't talk!_

_But I don't think I want to_

Thirteen planted a quick kiss on her lips before spinning her around one more time. Nothing could wipe the smile off Cameron's face.

_The touch of your lips it's a shock, not a kiss_

_It's electric twist, its electric twist yeah_

_The touch of your lips it's a shock not a kiss_

_It's electric twist, its electric twist!_

Cameron could see why she loved the song. It was so flirty and fun, just like this new side of Thirteen that was opening up to her.

_Cause you give me the electric twist and it kicks and it kicks yeah_

_And true, letcha get away with it, it's a risk it's a risk yeah_

Thirteen was such a good dancer that all she had to do was be lead along. She wondered vaguely if people were watching them, but for the most part she was lost in some wonderful world far away from here.

_You might get away with it_

_It's a risk yeah_

_But it kicks yeah_

_It really kicks yeah_

Thirteen led her to the bar so they could both cool off a bit as the song ended. "Aren't you daring?" Cameron asked breathlessly, referring to the earlier kiss. Thirteen nodded, laughing lightly.

"Remy Hadley, also known as Thirteen," The brunette stuck out her hand. "Doctor, world class flirt, former bartender, –" Bartender? She'd have to ask her about that. "- and soon to be foster parent. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "I'll drink to that. I really had fun. Actually, I can't remember the last time I danced like that."

Thirteen took a sip of her drink. "I'll have to take you out again sometime then."

"Daring _and_ confident," Cameron leaned in closer, making the younger doctor shiver. "I think I'd like that."

Thirteen was tempted to try for another kiss, but remained chivalrous. "Why don't we get out of here? They're closing soon and one of us needs to drive."

"Agreed," Cameron finished her drink and hopped off the stood, stumbling slightly. "I have a feeling you hold your alcohol better than I do."

Thirteen nodded. "It also might have helped that I was drinking water, not vodka." She said as she helped Cameron put on her coat. "I figure I can't be tempted if I'm taking Sophie home tomorrow."

They made it to Thirteen's car without further incident, and were almost to Cameron's apartment before she replied. "You're taking this foster parent thing really seriously, aren't you?"

Thirteen pulled in outside Cameron's building. "I'm sure you're overwhelmed by all the personal information you've found out already tonight about me, but I actually like kids. I might even want one."

They were at Cameron's front door. "I knew that from the minute I saw you in the clinic with her. That look in your eyes gave away any mystery you had left, Thirteen."

The brunette smiled softly before giving Cameron a final kiss. "Then maybe you could call me Remy?"

"Sounds good," She whispered. They stood there a moment, neither wanting to leave. "Good night." Cameron finally said.

"Good night."

Thirteen leaned against the wall across from Cameron's door for a few minutes. Maybe the world didn't suck so much after all.

* * *

I'm definitely hitting a block with this story, I hate to say. I'll figure something out I'm sure, but there might be a lack of updates in a few days.


	12. Chapter 12

Nearly ever surface of Thirteen's kitchen was sporting a various liquid, sauce, or overturned utensil. She was _not_ a cooking person. Her idea of a nice dinner was DiGiorno pizza or Chinese takeout. She figured that she, a twenty nine year old doctor, could manage something a little more kid friendly for Sophie's first night.

It hadn't been easy. She had stopped by the grocery store on the way home, buying things with the instructions on the back and cartoon characters Sophie grabbed at. It ended up costing $75, a decent chunk of what she had left from the pathetic foster parent compensation. She had plenty of money, but a little kid manual might have been more useful. She was extremely tempted to by 'Parenting for Dummies' off Amazon.

So she had unloaded everything on the kitchen counter, including Sophie. They worked out a deal that the munchkin would pass her everything out of the bags and she would get a cookie after dinner for her hard work. Let the chaos begin.

She thought she might be able to wash grapes quickly for Sophie to snack on while she set to fixing the pasta. She got out the strainer and started washing but tripped on the small rug, effectively spilling about half the grapes onto the floor. This greatly amused the munchkin, who in her excitement dropped the carton of eggs on the floor.

The second disaster happened while she was while she was cooking. She had managed to boil the water and for the pasta, but was having trouble finding the sauce pan. She gave Sophie a jar opener and asked her loosen the sauce lid. Well, she might as well have asked her to start drawing on the walls, because it would have equaled the mess.

It took her a minute to figure out how to hold it, but Sophie gave it a great yank and it spilled all over herself. She stared down at her shirt for a minute, then at Thirteen, and let out a great wail.

Thirteen completely disregarded the sauce that would ruin both of their shirts and wrapped the little girl in a big hug.

"Shh, shh," She cooed, "It's okay. You didn't mean to, I'm not mad." Ok, yes, she loved that shirt. But it was black and would hopefully wash out. "I'm not mad. I will never get mad at you for something you couldn't help." Thirteen whispered, partly to Sophie and partly to herself.

Sophie whimpered slightly, and then nodded quickly into Thirteen's shoulder. "Sowwy, sowwy, I sowwy…" She managed between tears.

"I know, "Thirteen carried her into the bedroom and rubbed her small back soothingly for five minutes. "Why don't we change into pajamas? I'll clean up." She wiped away the little girl's tears and gave her a reassuring smile. Sophie nodded, helping by licking some of the sauce on her shirt.

Thirteen sighed lightly as she looked through her closet. "Tomorrow night, I'm teaching you table manners."

After covering the bathroom and themselves in bubbles, they ended up having toast, bananas with peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies, and grape juice around midnight in Remy's bed. And neither of them could have been happier with their feast.

* * *

Haha! I tricked the site. Thx Plush Panda for telling me how to do it. Ok, so this chapter is my favorite so far. I wrote it a week ago when I spilled all my grapes on the floor. I'm so happy because I just got so inspired yesterday, I now know exactly how this will go and how it will end. I won't say anything more than that. Thank you everyone for reviewing!

mama2four: Congratulations! Yes, I'm a lonely only child, so thank you!


	13. Chapter 13

Thirteen was seated in the diagnostics radiology suite. She had done plenty of scans and tests, a full physical exam, and reread her history. She could find nothing on the scans.

In the back of her head, House's voice was telling her it was nothing more than Dissociative amnesia and to stop wasting her time. She yelled back at him to shut up. She didn't _want_ it to be Dissociative amnesia. It could mean so many different things. There might have actually been abuse, or she could regain her memory any day. Cuddy could be right that Sophie only became attached to her as a means for survival.

She was so selfish. She didn't _want _Sophie to regain her memories. The last two nights felt like the most natural thing in the world, and she didn't want either relationship to end.

A small, malevolent voice in the back of her head told her the worst case scenario would be best, long term. Sophie would have relatives and regain her memory, completely forgetting her. Cameron would come up to her with tears in her eyes saying any number of excuses and fly back into Chase's arms where she actually belonged. She also told it to shut up, to no avail.

"Damn it!" She yelled suddenly, slamming her fist down on the luminescent table. Her phone lit up and started vibrating not so quietly.

"Hello?" She said in a huff.

"Uh, hi," Cameron said, "Everything okay?" She had been heading up to the diagnostics room because the ER was practically empty.

Thirteen's frustrated melted when she heard Allison's voice. "Yeah, I'm just tired, sorry. Have you got a few minutes?"

"Well, let's see," She said sarcastically, "Don't tell the boys, but I was coming to see you."

The brunette smiled to herself. "I'm in the radiology suite looking at Sophie's scans. Can you take a look?"

Cameron laughed lightly. "Sure,"

They went up to the doctor's lounge and sat on the loveseat in the far corner. Cameron gave her a light kiss, which Thirteen eagerly returned. It had been less than 24 hours since she had felt those lips and she had felt like she was starving every minute. They needed to stop making out in the doctors' lounge or eventually one of the boys would walk right in.

The mood now considerably more intense, Thirteen pulled the scans out of the folder and showed them to Cameron.

She held a few up to the light. "Are these Sophie's?" Thirteen nodded. "You know I'm not a neurologist."

"Like I'll take it to Foreman," She said, deep in thought. "I can't find _anything_. I just thought a fresh set of eyes might help."

Cameron nodded understandingly, still focused on the images. "I don't see anything either. No signs of trauma, bleeds, clots, swelling, lesions, residual damage from the infection, anything. Let me see the CT scan?"

Thirteen passed it to her and Cameron looked at that one for a few seconds before setting it down. The younger doctor rested her head in her right hand, still concentrating on the film in front of her. "Remy," She said softly. "What's the real reason you sounded so stressed on the phone?"

Remy sighed deeply and set the folder on the coffee table. "I…I'm scared." Remy _never_ admitted she was scared, or lonely or any other emotion. "We're getting really close and I feel like…if she gets her memory back or they find some relative, it'll just prove that I could never be a mother. I'm finding myself thinking about her all the time, worrying mostly. I feel like...if I mess this up, the worst possible things could just-"

"Shut up," Cameron couldn't hear anymore. She got on up her knees so she was taller than Remy and embraced her tightly. "Listen to me," She said in the same quiet but firm tone. "You are _not_ your mother. You could never do anything that would ever make Sophie hate or resent you. She _loves _you."

"So you're saying that I'm a terrible person for hating my mother?" Remy said against the blonde's shoulder angrily, but still gripping her close.

"I'm saying that you could never have received the care you give to Sophie. I'm saying that, no matter how this whole thing turns out, Sophie will _still_ love you and I'll _always_ be there." Allison kissed her neck softly. Remy had somehow ended up between her legs, enclosed in a Cameron-cocoon. She started nodding softly before letting out a small sob.

"I'm sorry," Remy whispered, blinking back tears.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, baby. Don't keep all of this bottled up. You don't have to prove anything in front of me. How did she always know what to say? She nodded a little stronger. Cameron sighed and relaxed slightly.

They stayed like that, thankfully uninterrupted, for a few minutes before Thirteen sat up. "I should probably get Sophie home. It's about six and we don't have a patient."

Cameron nodded, even though she didn't want their time like this to end.

"Maybe…You could have dinner with us tonight? We never got around to that Disney movie." Thirteen asked hopefully. "I mean, I'm not that great of a cook, but that munchkin hasn't complained yet."

Cameron had a feeling she was grinning like an idiot again. "That sounds lovely."

* * *

I know it sounds fluffy at the end, but it will get darker. What Cameron said will come back to bite her in the butt. As for where I'm taking this, I can't even describe how much research I had to do! There are your three clues, run with 'em. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I can't tell you how cool it is to wake up and see that I had hundreds of eyes reading this while I slept. Doesn't that sound creepy? But really, you all rock.


	14. Chapter 14

After a heated debate about whether the 'cook for 20-24 minutes' meant including the time it took the oven to preheat, then tearing the kitchen apart looking for a pan, and one almost burned hand (because apparently Cameron thinks taking a metal pan out of a 400 degree oven and biting right in won't burn you at all), Remy, Allison, and Sophie were all watching 'The Lion King' in PJs and eating pizza that somehow didn't taste like cardboard. Frankly, they all agreed that next time it would be _much_ less stressful to order from Pizza Hut.

Sophie had cried a bit when Musafa died, but both women reassured her it was okay, it had a happy ending and that the first time they both saw it, they cried their eyes out. By the time Elton John was singing 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' in the end credits, Remy had fallen asleep on the sofa arm. Sophie still had her eyes open, but just barely. Cameron _never_ fell asleep during this movie, along with 'Tarzan', or else she would have nightmares, but was leaning heavily on the other sofa arm.

Sophie crawled out of Remy's arms and onto Cameron's stomach. "Dr. Awy?" She asked groggily.

"Yes, Sophie?" She asked, somewhat surprised that the child had chose her to sleep on instead of Remy.

"Can I have juice?" She rubbed her eyes, ridding the sand from the sleep creeping up on her.

"Of course," Allison smiled sweetly. "Do you want grape or orange?"

"Gwape," was the reply, muffled in Cameron's shoulder.

She managed to pour the juice into a Sippy cup without spilling any and gave it to Sophie. The toddler sucked on it slightly before letting it fall back into Allison's waiting hand.

"Is it bedtime?" Cameron asked softly. Sophie nodded.

The blonde looked momentarily from the bedroom to Remy's sleeping face. If she didn't wake her up, her neck would be killing her tomorrow. "Remy," She shook her shoulder a bit. "Get up, baby."

She didn't think Remy was entirely awake, but she got up and was dragged to the bedroom without protest. The younger doctor fell onto the covers, out like a light again. Cameron managed to wiggle out the comforter from under her and place it over them – her, Remy, and Sophie in the middle.

A girl could get used to this.

* * *

Sunlight poured into the master bedroom on the three girls all askew on the bed. Allison Cameron lazily opened one eye and smiled to herself. She knew there was a reason she felt a little squished. Her arms were tucked around Sophie and Remy's arms were around her waist, their legs intertwined. Carefully, she lifted one of her arms off Sophie and propped herself up on her elbow to face a sleeping Thirteen. She was on her stomach with the blanket thrown off sometime during the night and her feet poking out from under the sheet. Who knew she slept like a little kid? She wished she had a camera.

"Remy…" She whispered, giving her left shoulder a little nudge. Remy smiled, half asleep.

"Hmm?" She mumbled, tightening her grip around the older doctor. Allison giggled, shaking her harder.

"Remy wake up, I'm sandwiched. Let go." Thirteen finally opened her eyes, grinning evilly.

"I know." She whispered, giving Cameron a peck on the neck, moving slowly up to her jawbone until the blonde finally pushed her off, smiling.

"There's a three year old in the bed." Cameron pointed out.

"Does that mean we could keep going if there wasn't?" Thirteen twisted her words around, grinning widely.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "I think I'll just let you wonder the answer to _that_."

Thirteen sighed melodramatically. "Fine, but you wouldn't get off so easy if I wasn't hungry."

Cameron's eyes lit up at the mention of food. "You're really going to make breakfast? Wouldn't it be safer if we went to IHOP?" She watched as her girlfriend (was she her girlfriend now?), got out of bed and headed for her closet. Wow, how did she look so hot even in pajama pants?

"I know how to make waffles and cereal. If you're in the mood for Eggs Benedict, then yes, IHOP would be the next best choice." She looked at her over her shoulder. "Unless you like your eggs _sunny side up..." _

Cameron, already tired of her House-like quips, sprang out of bed and tackled/tickled the brunette from behind.

"A-Allison," Remy squealed, "S-Stop it!

"What was that?" The older doctor asked, "Tickle you more? We might wake a certain someone up!"

As if on cue, a dash of brown hair jumped down from the bed and ten little fingers assisted Cameron in torturing Thirteen. "No! Oh- oh god!" She said between laughs. "I can't breathe!" She suddenly flipped over on top of Cameron. "You turned the munchkin against me!" And Sophie and Remy proceeded to tickle Allison to death.

Their coworkers were probably wondering where the two female doctors were. Well as long as they didn't feel the need to break in, they could wonder all they wanted. They finished Tarzan, Mary Poppins, and Madeline. Then when Sophie fell asleep they flipped between Project Runway and Law and Order: SVU. Cameron fell asleep around nine. She was still trying to build up the endless energy reserve all mothers said came with the package.

Thirteen figured she should call Cuddy and take the rap for Cameron for their absence.

"Dr. Hadley?" Cuddy answered. Thirteen was about to apologize but Cuddy continued. "I'm glad you called. I need you to come in, it's about Sophie."

All Cameron vaguely heard was a 'Are you sure?' and 'yeah', some shuffling and the door slamming. When she managed to open her eyes, Sophie was asleep on her chest and the apartment was deathly quiet.

* * *

I have to mention that I loved writing the second scene so much, and I've been Cameron when they cooked the pizza. I'm going back to school tomorrow! I'm so scared. I really have no idea how erratic my updates will be because of it. I might let you all sweat a bit for kicks. Just a random thought, Madeline may be my most watched movie of all time. I had a total Madeline obession when I was 5, and if you haven't watched it you need to get your butt to blockbuster! Or Youtube.


	15. Chapter 15

"Can they really do that?" Cuddy had never seen Thirteen like this. The younger doctor was pacing quickly around her office, running her fingers through her hair, sitting down one second then standing up the next. "Isn't there some law against that?"

"Look, all I know is that a friend of the family says that she's known Sophie all of her life and wants to adopt her. Because of your medical records and sexuality, a judge may be compelled to let her."

"But you know all about adoption, right? I know they can't take her because I'm bi, and I'm not showing any symptoms yet, they can't-"Thirteen trailed off and sunk down in a little ball on the ugly green couch. "Can they?" She muttered with pure dread on her face. The first symptoms – she could write a damn book on Huntington's by now – rushed through her mind, flashbacks of her mother included. Unsteady gait, lack of coordination… no, she would have fallen off her bike by now. What about personality changes? She never revealed anything to her coworkers, so who would've noticed? She should still have more time!

Seeing Thirteen in such obvious distress, Cuddy sighed and sat down next to the younger doctor. "Remy. I want you to listen to what I have to say as a friend, not your boss. "Cuddy put her hand on her back and rubbed it maternally. "You give me way more trouble than you're worth, just like House. But you're driven and passionate and you always do what's best for your patient. That's why I hired you. I know we don't really get along, but through this trial by fire, you've taken care of Sophie outstandingly. That's why I will fight for you, for her, and for Doctor Cameron."

Thirteen raised her head. "How do you-?"

"I'm not an idiot. The whole hospital will probably be talking about it by tomorrow, with you both missing today. And I happened to find a picture of you sleeping on her cell phone." Cuddy explained, mumbling the last part.

"What was that?" She asked. "Never mind. Thank you, Doctor Cuddy, really. I guess I know what you went through with Rachel now."

"Are you thinking of adoption?" Cuddy asked softly.

"I don't know, a lot to think and talk with her about, but I feel like if…If she was taken from me, I'd never fill that void." Remy tried to convey what she was feeling without success, but she thought Cuddy understood.

"We'll beat this. Now go home, get some sleep. Both of you take tomorrow off, and I'll slash your clinic hours for the week. Look at me?" Remy's tired eyes met Cuddy's. "Yeah, sleep in. I'm sorry I called you out here so late."

Remy shook her head. "No, thank you. I appreciate everything you're doing for us." Cuddy nodded. After a moment, both women stood up and Remy put on her coat. "Good night, Dr. Cuddy."

"Lisa," She corrected. Remy nodded and exited the office.

Cuddy leaned against her desk and let her shoulders fall. She hoped somehow this problem would be quickly resolved. God knows that Dr. Hadley didn't need anymore worries in her life.

* * *

I'm sorry it's so short, but I couldn't have had a more exhausting first day, so reviews about this plot advance would be lovely. I won't be able to read them until later though, because right now I need to read that crappy biology book. I got a new teacher and he shed a week off the due date. Then I'll need to do more research to make the next few chapters lawfully and medically correct. DX


	16. Chapter 16

Cameron hadn't stirred when the door closed. After waking up alone, she hadn't really known what to make of it. Trying to ignore her growing worry, she had put Sophie to bed and waited on the sofa. Apparently, her need for sleep had been more urgent.

She finally jolted awake when a noise spooked her. Cameron could make out the outline of her girlfriend sitting at the table sipping on a bottle of Jack Daniels. Thirteen felt exhausted. One beer to calm down before waking Cameron up quickly turned into three.

"Remy?" She whispered. Remy visibly jumped at her voice. She looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights. Her eyes were bloodshot – had she been crying? "Where have you been?"

Allison sat down next to her and covered Remy's trembling hand with her own. The brunette's hand was freezing. She felt her cheek – Remy again jumped from the sudden contact. "Baby, you're freezing. What happened?" She asked, more urgently.

Remy mumbled something incoherently. "What?"

"I should have never taken her. I should've told Cuddy no, put her in a home. I should've _never_-"Remy's breath caught in her throat. "I fucking knew this would happen and I did it anyway!" She roughly pushed Cameron's hand away and stood up, nearly tripping.

"Have you been drinking?" The older woman asked in disbelief.

The brunette ignored her. "Talk to me, Remy!"

Remy rolled her eyes, taking another swig of the alcohol. "Just a few. Can you blame me?"

Cameron stood up and steadied the younger doctor, who looked like she was in danger of falling at any minute. Remy had obviously gone somewhere and gotten drunk. How had she driven home like this? "Yes, I can! I have no idea what the hell happened, but if you turn to the bottle for every damn thing, Sophie _would_ be better off somewhere else!"

"I never WANTED her! I never wanted you either! Get the fuck out!"

The slap surprised both of them. Thirteen raised a hand to her now red cheek, tears springing into her eyes.

"I know that you're not thinking straight, but that doesn't mean I'm not mad as hell, Remy. You better have sobered up by tomorrow, or we're over and you'll never see Sophie again. Got it?" And she walked out of the apartment.

* * *

Cameron pretended that what she did didn't just tear her apart. She honestly thought that Thirteen would never go down that road again, especially with Sophie to look after. She wouldn't put up with it, and if Remy didn't understand that…then this whole thing was just a mistake.

* * *

Thirteen felt sick. No, she _was_ sick. She managed to just make it to the bathroom before throwing up until everything she had swallowed in the past two days was staring at her in the face. At the disgusting sight, she puked one more time – just stomach acid burning her throat. She leaned against the tub, the sheer whiteness of her bathroom tile making her head spin.

She felt a tiny, warm hand on her back. "Dr. Remy?" She managed to lift her head enough to see Sophie sitting on the floor. They had probably woken her with all of their yelling and her retching. "Is you sick?"

Remy lifted one of her arms, letting Sophie crawl into an embrace. "Yeah," She whispered. "I'm sick."

Sophie sat up and kissed her cheek. "All better?"

She felt tears in her eyes for the third time that night. "No," Remy held the child tightly in her arms. "Not all better."

She would never be all better.

* * *

I'm so sorry, but I had to do it. I decided that I will make you all pull your hair out til Friday or Saturday, because of school and all. I repeat, happy ending, guarenteed, it's just a matter of how long it takes. I cannot believe this has almost 100 reviews! I read every one and take any suggestions into account, they make me smile wider than the Joker. That's why I sometimes throw in curveball angst.


	17. Chapter 17

"Dr. Cameron, why are you here?" Cuddy stopped the blonde doctor as she walked through the clinic. "I gave you and Dr. Hadley the day off."

"Really?" Cameron had huge bags under her eyes and her make up looked two days old. "I wouldn't know. When I woke up, Remy was drunk off her ass and told me to get out." She leaned against the nurses' station, suddenly intrigued by the cheap plastic top.

Cuddy set the patient folders in the rack. "I think you'd better come with me." Cameron could think of three _wonderful_ ways to decline off the top of her head, but this was a thing between her and Remy. No need to get her boss pissed off at her too. She reluctantly followed.

Cuddy started speaking as soon as the office door was closed. "What exactly happened?"

Cameron sighed angrily. "I just told you. Remy was at the table, totally tipsy, and started yelling that everything was a mistake. I told her to get sober and then we'd talk. I doubt she even remembers, I heard her puking a few seconds after I left." Why did Cuddy suddenly care?

Cuddy took all of this in and sat down behind her desk. "So she didn't tell you?"

Cameron was truly confused now. "Tell me what?"

The dean gathered some papers off the top of her desk. "I called Dr. Hadley last night and gave her these. I should have made sure she went straight home last night." She said guiltily.

The blonde doctor skimmed the documents, the color fading from her face. "I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I just…I told her that I'd always be there and I just walked out!" She hadn't even stopped to think about _why_ Remy was drinking. The words she had spat at her had hurt too much.

"I'm so sorry," Cuddy whispered empathetically. "I should have waited until tomorrow and told you together, I should have known that she-"

"No, this is entirely my fault. I've got to talk to her." Cameron said, rising from the chair. She just hoped she wasn't too late to save what she had destroyed.

* * *

Somehow, Remy had woken up hangover free. Unfortunately for her, both she and Sophie had fallen asleep on the hard, cold, bathroom tile. Sophie was nice and warm in her arms and on her stomach, but the young doctor ached everywhere. When last night came back to her, she blinked back tears, realizing she fully deserved it.

She got up on sore leg muscles and managed to get Sophie back to the bed. It was only 6:30, so no need to wake her. On the way, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Damn, she looked like hell. She prayed that the peaceful look on Sophie's sleeping face meant that she hadn't overheard her last night.

Remy stared at the scene in the kitchen. There were three bottles of beer on the table – god, she shouldn't even own any liquor these days – and one was broken. She shouldn't be this fucking weak!

"_If you turn to the bottle for every damn thing, Sophie would be better off somewhere else!"_

She let out a choked sob. Who had she ever been trying to fool? She was going to die suffering from a horrible disease in more or less a decade, and would only reach that point after degenerating slowly before everyone she knew. Who the hell would voluntarily stick around to watch that? What judge would stick a child with someone like that?

She felt a pulling on her pant leg. Sophie was looking up at her, biting her lip to keep a straight face. Remy quickly bent down. "Baby, what's wrong?" She whispered as she picked up the toddler.

"I had a bad dweam." The child said, clinging to Remy's wrinkled shirt. "They took me."

Remy's eyebrows furrowed. "Who took you?"

A few tears slipped out of her eyes. "They took me from you and Awy."

Remy got up from the chair, careful not to step in any broken glass, and took Sophie back to bed. " You want to stay with me and Ally?"

Sophie nodded yes hurriedly. "Forewer."

She took a shaky breath. "Even if I got sick?"

The munchkin looked up at her, confused. "You take care of me whiles I sick, I take care of Dr. Remy when she sick."

It was the most innocent reply. There was no way a three year old could comprehend the full extent and weight of the question.

She hated herself right then. She had no right to do it, to subject her to it.

"Then that's what we'll do."

With or without Cameron, that's what they'd do.

* * *

I have to say I'm not a fan of this chapter, mostly because the words weren't flowing for me. I'm so glad it's Friday, and (I can't believe I can say this) whoever gets the 100th review is entitled to the last brownie in the fridge or anything else they want.

EDIT: I'm very confused now, because I've tried posting chapter 18 twice and it vanished. I know it has nothing to do with the content so it's gotta be the site giving me grief. I'm sorry for all the inconvenience, especially because this will be the 3rd time story alert goes off today for anyone who's added it. Again, sorry. I'll post 2 tomorrow to make it up to you.


	18. Chapter 18

For the 3rd time, I give you the chapter you've all been waiting for.

* * *

Allison Cameron was sitting in her car outside Thirteen's building. She couldn't go in. Her legs felt like lead and her head felt like someone was pressing directly on her sinuses. What the hell had she done?

She had driven twenty miles over the speed limit, effectively reaching the apartment in ten minutes. She had rationalized completely reading the file rather than storming in there, pretending like she knew exactly what was happening. That's what she did last night, and that turned out just dandy.

The police (dumbasses) had finally made a breakthrough. This 'friend of the family' had a name, Soubise Heap. The police found her in many photos in Sophie's home and tracked her down. The bitch expressed 'profuse concern' for Sophie's wellbeing, filed for custody, and had a lawyer dig up any dirt she could find on Remy. At least Cuddy never wrote down the Spencer incident on her record, and House was in the mental hospital so he couldn't testify.

Cuddy had done one more thing for which she was eternally grateful. Granted, it probably only took her ten minutes of searching Google to find, but she printed out information on LGBT Adoption. According to New Jersey law, blah blah blah, there can be no denying adoption of children based on sexual orientation. However, the DCF had a policy of denying consent to joint adoption by unmarried couples, fixed in 1997. These days, the sexual orientation of parents is not necessarily considered a dispositive factor in foster care or adoption. It all came down to the best interest and welfare of the child. In laymen's terms, it was a load of crap that meant that any bigot judge could deny Remy custody no matter what the law said.

The papers about the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, worried her. She never thought of Remy any way than what she was right then and now. She wasn't in denial of her Huntington's, she had seen how it tore people apart, but Remy was _not_ showing symptoms yet. And she _wouldn't _for a long time, at least until Sophie could understand.

She poured through Act II, the section addressing adoption by public agencies, and it scared her momentarily. Illegal drug use would disqualify Remy, which meant if she started using to control her tremors Sophie would be placed with this stranger. Not that Remy would ever do that, she told herself.

As far as she could pull from her laptop – and she had gone to plenty of research sites and consulted with friends at other hospitals – there were no cases in history of the state of New Jersey in which Huntington's disease had been an issue in adoption while confronted by an outside, healthy, party.

The tapping on the glass window on her left startled her. She could see hands in the jean pockets and red suspenders. Thirteen was shivering slightly and Cameron rolled down the window. Thirteen backed away a bit so their eyes met, full of clear sadness.

"Come in?"

"Yeah"

They started walking and simultaneously turned and hugged each other in the entrance hall. Allison breathed in Remy's scent while the brunette buried her head in the crook of her neck, sorely missing the feel of her skin.

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"I love you."

"I love you too. "

* * *

Who said what? Secret for the ages, because I'm evil. Soubise, by the way, is a French onion sauce.

Also, it came to my attention yesterday that this story was recieved 10000 hits. Congratulations all, I went from a calm, cool, and collected little brat to covering my mouth to stop myself from screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm so addicted to this site now that I don't think I'll ever go back. Which is a good thing for you.


	19. Chapter 19

They were sitting at the kitchen table. The glass bottles were swept into a corner. Sophie was transfixed by the light, so they were keeping them until they could buy her some shiny that wouldn't cover her in boo boos. The sun was out, making it not seem as dreary as it really was. Christmas was fast approaching and they didn't know whether Sophie would be placed back into the foster system until the court date.

Remy would have to go before a judge and make her case. The sleazy lawyer for Soubise (Remy had done a search on her, and the woman was loaded) would argue that Remy, the bisexual dying doctor could not properly up bring a child. Cuddy would find them a lawyer who would fight for them passionately, even if it came to sticking her stilettos in the bitch's eyes.

Neither of them really wanted to talk. Without each other they were nothing, without Sophie they were less than nothing. If some stranger wanted to take that from them, she was in for hell. After the little apology/make up/ love confession fest in the hallway, did they really need words? Well, it was definitely the first time Remy had admitted she loved someone without sleeping with them first. They'd have to bring that up.

They poured through legal papers, articles on breakthroughs with genetic research published in medical journals, and LGBT rights acts. Remy had longtime friends in a lesbian couple she had met growing up. One was a Religious Education and LGBT activist and the other worked with the disabled by teaching them to play instruments. She had gone over to their house on her mom's worst days, and they were second parents to her. She knew they would help them fight.

* * *

Cameron could tell that Sophie knew something was wrong. While Remy took a small nap (she really deserved it) she sat her down and tried to explain. She really shouldn't have – she wasn't as good with kids as Remy.

"Sophie? I need to talk to you about something." She started softly, getting the little girl's attention.

"Ok Awy," She climbed up and plopped down on her lap. God, she was so cute the way she said her name.

"I don't want you to get upset, ok? But you might not be staying with Remy for awhile." And she prepared for the outburst.

Sophie started shaking and she looked around with fear in her eyes. She had been good! She had been her very best and Remy and Awy wanted to get rid of her too! They were going to take her again!

She started crying and Cameron quickly wrapped them in the throw, whispering comforts. "I'm sowwy! I'm sowwy sowwy sowwy!"

She kept whispering sorry; sorry for what? "It's nothing you did, shush don't cry. A lady thinks she could take better care of you than Remy could, so they need to decide what's best, okay?"

"NO! No lady! Stay with Remy! Sophie make Remy better!" Sophie punched her tiny fists against Cameron's chest.

"Make Remy better?" Cameron questioned, confused by her choice of words.

"Remy say she sick so I make Remy better!" Sophie said, determined through her waterworks.

Cameron's heart sank. None of this was right. This whole mess was just cruel, for lack of a better word. Why did fate or God or whatever was up there choose to let some ride the train easily and make others run for miles to jump on the caboose, forcing the woman she loved to struggle every single day?

That's right, she loved her. With her first crush, a boy named Trevor, she didn't realize that until one day when she did a lot of soul searching was only her redirected feelings for a girl named Anna. She really shouldn't have been able to trick herself a second time.

The last week felt like a dream. So of course it could only last so long, right?

Not if she had a say.

* * *

I realize these two chapters are short, but chapter 20 is the longest yet. I do need to make a note that the lesbian couple Thirteen mentioned are people I know (but names will be changed), so when I finally come out and they end up reading this, I've got to say you two rock and really inspire me. Thank you for helping me accept who I am even if you don't know it, and I love you both.

Also, I'm getting a lot of reviews from people saying they don't usually read kid fics. Neither do I, but a three year old is much easier to make likable than a teen, which is what kid fics usually are. And three year olds are cute and cuddly! Again, thank you everyone for your reviews and help with this story. Wow, what a long note!


	20. Chapter 20

A social worker came to collect Sophie the next day. The court date was set on December 24th, because 'The Family Courts of the esteemed State of New Jersey DO NOT take breaks for religious holidays, as stated in…' Cameron wanted to shove that up their asses. No child should spend Christmas in Foster Care. She never really celebrated Christmas, but loved the holiday spirit. This was a scene right out of Annie.

It took fifteen minutes to separate Sophie from Remy (twice as long than the one time she left the hospital), with combined comforting from herself and this woman, a different one than the one from the hospital, who apparently had a heart. They promised that she'd come see her everyday, since when Cuddy had decided to give them the next two weeks off. She would never understand that woman.

Cameron decided she ought to go back to her apartment. She had slept there only one of the last three nights, and didn't bother to collect the mail or throw out spoiled milk while she was there. She was glad Chase took the cat. Besides, going from first date to raising a child in the course of a weekend wasn't a good approach to parenting. It was like one minute they were horny teenagers then they were being thrown back into early childhood class with that plastic baby, skipping the sex and vows completely.

She looked around –furniture, walls, ceiling, and a few small personal details. Was that all her life had become?

Everybody wants somebody to love. Those were song lyrics, a total cliché, and the author had somehow revealed what she called a basic human truth. House would call an evolutionary hormone balance for the greater purpose of the decrepit species that walked the Earth. Then he'd make a clever joke about how Chase wasn't girly enough for her.

There were recent studies in lions showing that partnerships other than the status quo male and female actually produced stronger and more numerous cubs. That'd make sense if the lion spent all his time caring for his mane and sleeping rather than focusing on 'cubs'.

She wanted to be part of that. An equal, loved and respected part of a wonderful life. That was another problem with the traditional family. The father was always head of the household, always pursuing his own dreams and only caring for his wife when he saw fit. Fuck 'love' and 'commitment', that's how it was. That's how scandals got started. Children, often neglected by at least one parent, can only try their hardest to loved and hope they don't come out with too many scars.

She and Remy would be different. When she was with her, she felt amazing and couldn't be happier. God help her if they didn't get a chance to throw caution to the wind soon. Of course, there were strings attached, in the form of a few years, months, or seconds. Time would destroy them, crept up on and swept away before old age could let them fall into any sense of normality. Maybe that's why the Romans loved tragedies.

What was a tragedy without a family clan trying to stop forbidden love, of course? She consciously steered her mind away from all the troubles they would face in the coming days. This was why in the movies the girl was always too beautiful to stop and the boy got them fake IDs and stole a car so they could elope in Vegas.

She'd be honest with herself. She wanted to run away. She was _so_ scared, of all of this. Remy was the brave one, the strong one, not her. All of her life, she figured if people thought she was everything that everyone wanted, they'd like her. She'd even played that role to her husband (both of them).

She'd sought refuge in Joe. She had to be strong, for her husband, but she was young and for the most part, stupid. In those last few days…they were in a private waiting room, her husband was just sleeping and she needed a break. She remembered how sore she was from sitting in that chair and how she couldn't eat or drink more than a mouth full. Joe forced her to change clothes and shower once in awhile.

And he'd…he'd sat next to her, taken her hand, like he always did. She'd started crying…it was almost over. He was almost gone, she was almost free. And she absolutely hated feeling that.

So he hugged her – strong arms, warm, dry hands. It felt good.

She hated thinking about it. But she had resisted him… barely.

She was sitting by his bed again, feeling the peach fuzz on his head. He used to have thick brown messy hair. It took her ages to brush it on their wedding day, and he laughed after they made love that night. All of her hard work was a waste, and her dress was wrinkled. But he was happy, so it was okay.

She knew it was the end. Just remembering made her tear up. She whispered how sorry she was into his chest. He never replied. She prayed that he never heard her.

If it came to that again, she and Remy would be different. Same hospital bed, same waiting room, but there would be two differences. Sophie would be the one who needed the comfort, and she would never try to fix anyone 'broken' again.

She was broken enough, all by herself.

* * *

The bed felt freezing without the brat to give her the extra body heat, so she was covered in blankets. It had felt so weird cooking for one that evening, and sleeping alone. She couldn't fall asleep, and when she was an insomniac Remy did some of her deepest thinking.

She really wished that she was a decent painter. Any form of art she loved, really, her apartment was full of it. But she was never that good at expressing herself. She remembered coming home from first grade one day, a big smile on her face. They got to paint for the first time that day (consequently ruining all the little paint sets by not washing brushes and spilling the water on the tables) and she made the _best _barn in the _world._ Her teacher told her to show it to her mommy and it'd get put on the fridge.

She didn't quite understand yet that her mom was sick. She walked kind of funny and her hands would shake a bit, like she was cold. Sometimes her dad would put in a movie for her or send her down the street to Mary and Teresa's house and her parents would go upstairs. After awhile it got too hard for her mother to make it up the stairs without tripping and that's how she heard them crying. Some days her mom would snap at her if she chewed too loud or forgot to brush her teeth, but she guessed that her friends' moms did too.

When she got home that day, the first thing her mom yelled was that the paper was the wrong way. Barns were supposed to be on the paper turned horizontally. She tried to explain that the teacher said either way was fine, but her mom snatched it out of her hands.

"And see this? It's purple! What the fuck were you doing putting purple on a barn? What color is a barn, Remy?!" That was the first time she heard her mother swear. She didn't know what it meant, obviously, but she could tell that she had done something wrong. She mumbled an apology at her feet. Why didn't her mother like it?

Her mother pulled at one of her short curls and hit her cheek. "Look at me when you speak! You're such a brat! We spent a lot of money on that private school, and you'll make every pathetic effort to be worth it!" She felt a tight feeling in her throat, like she was going to cry.

Her father had rushed in at all her mother's yelling and scooped her up at the sight of her red cheek. "Ann," He said softly, but held his wife's shoulder firmly. He pushed her small head against his shoulder, so she ended up crying on his nice shirt.

"Remy, look what you did, you worthless child! Apologize to your father!" Her mother continued, pulling out of her father's grasp and yanking her wrist.

She remembered crying more, and a nice lady in purple gave her a teddy bear for being brave while she wrapped the sprain. She supposed she had blocked out the rest for a reason – the fall to the floor, the trip to the ER with her mother still yelling, and her father yelling at her mother behind closed doors when they got home. She remembers, however, clear as day that when she went downstairs for juice hours later that there was her picture of the barn, stepped on and ripped.

She supposed maybe if her mother hadn't been such a bitch that day and twisted her wrist, she might have become an artist instead of a doctor. But no, her mother died seven years later after she had sustained a few more slaps and two cracked ribs from 'falling' down the stairs.

She knew she hadn't meant it, but that didn't mean she wanted a normal mom who would have put it on the fridge like anyone decent would have.

When she went to the foster home tomorrow, she would buy Sophie a little paint set. That way, even if she was all but her mother four years down the road, she and Allison would make sure that the fridge was covered in purple barns.

* * *

I'm sorry this was so depressing. I was fresh from my first week of high school, so, yeah. And I could write 1000 depressing Thirteen childhoods. BUT! For those who do not know, the rating is going up for the next chapter! Think whatever you want with that little tidbit. And after the next few chapters, it'll get a little more cheery. I'm falling behind (again) so if the updates get delayed, I'm sorry. More school news, we had our first day of PE and I forgot my asthma inhaler. Not fun lol.


	21. Chapter 21

The drought in Diagnostics had finally ceased, finally giving Thirteen something to do other than clinic duty and the ER while Foreman sat on his ass and read medical journals.

"Fever, enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, and respiratory distress," Foreman said, writing the symptoms on the white board. She, Cameron, Chase, and Taub flipped through the folders.

"Fever would point to infection," Cameron noted.

"You'll need to be a little more specific." Chase snapped.

"The patient is 10, it could be cystic fibrosis." Taub said, leaning back in his chair. "This is why you don't have relationships in the workplace."

"We're very happy together, thanks for asking," Thirteen deadpanned. "All her symptoms would point to cancer, leukemia being most likely." She looked up at Foreman for approval, with a hint of a smirk on her lips.

He gave her his infamous stare before nodding. "Taub run blood tests, Chase do a bone marrow biopsy, and you two do an LP to rule out infection." And as usual, Foreman went right back to doing nothing.

As soon as they were out of sight, Chase turned to them. "I'd love to help, but I'm already booked until lunch. Have fun." He said victoriously. Who knew he'd be such a sore loser? Cameron gave him a wide smile and subtly intertwined her fingers with Remy's.

"I'll let you two get to it then." Taub quickly walked off, but not before his blushing seen by his two coworkers. Thirteen waved cheerily and they headed towards the elevators.

* * *

Several hours later both women were hunched over the diagnostics table. It was a good day, just an infection that had responded to antibiotics. Thirteen supposed that the good cases waited until they could be thrown back at House. Her job had certainly gotten easier. So here she was with Allison, just wrapping up the paperwork. Actually, Allison was writing and she was gazing at her.

Cameron noticed this after a minute and looked up, smiling. "Can I help you?"

Thirteen closed her eyes, "Is it lame to say how beautiful you are in the muted hospital light?"

Cameron rolled her eyes, "Yes, it is. But it's also sweet."

A comfortable silence filled the room while they both just sat there with their chins resting on their hands until Thirteen spoke again. "Is it too spontaneous to ask if you want to come over tonight?"

Cameron's heart leaped. "You certainly ask a lot of questions," She whispered.

"I don't want to mess this up." Thirteen met the blonde's eyes. Had they unconsciously scooted closer?

"You're too perfect to mess anything up." They locked lips softly, savoring the taste.

"So…-you…- wanna…-go?" The younger doctor managed in between increasingly passionate kisses.

"Mhm," It was a little known fact, Cameron's voice was raised a few pitches when she was aroused.

Remy had really wanted to talk tonight. Just talk, really, no ulterior motives.

They remembered to lock the door, and didn't miss the step at the bedroom entrance, even with their eyes closed. Reaching the bed, they slowly shed each others layers onto the hardwood floors, leaving each woman completely raw.

Remy scattered kisses all over the woman below her, appreciating every contour and valley of Allison's perfect, soft skin. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Allison on the other hand, was absolutely floating. Every slight brush of Remy's fingers and lips felt like satin. One of her knees was between her legs, but she didn't rush it or even tease her. Allison could tell that this was the Remy said 'I love you', like a master piano player, fingers dancing over the keys.

Remy's eyes met hers, just to make sure. Allison nodded, breathing heavily, and sat up to catch the younger woman in a fervent kiss, her nails scraping the flesh of Remy's back.

This is what she had wanted. She had never felt so alive or free, like she could do anything. Their lips barely left each other when Remy let her fingers finally wander downward and skillfully pleasure the blonde.

"Remy," Allison gasped at the touch, not knowing how much more she could take. Remy finally let the ecstasy flood the woman below her, riding it out with her lover.

They paused, perfectly still for a split second, saw hazy visions swirling in the pools of each other's eyes.

Allison then flipped Remy over, taking control and returning every refined, amazing caress and more. There was no hurry of course, because the sun had decided to permanently let the stars illuminate them forever.

Afterwards they lay like that for minutes or hours, lost in each other. The only indicator that time was passing was their heavy breath, before thoughts began to form again.

Remy always felt something different with anyone she slept with. It could be something simple, like their perfume, or some abstract image from the cocktail of drugs she had consumed. Either way, it was a little more than a notch on the bedpost.

When she made love, it was different. She didn't do it often, and it was a pleasure only expressed once per person. She'd only actually experienced once, with her first love, a girl named Brenda. It was like a fantasy, a long forgotten tale of deeper truth. She whispered this new dream softly to the woman snuggled tightly in her arms, occasionally playing with her ear and making her shiver, despite their sweat-covered bodies.

Remy, Allison learned, was quite the story teller. Her soft lullaby was the only break in the silence. Her sultry voice became lower and softer, and then just a soft hum, and finally the story became lost to both women as they fell asleep in each other's arms, illuminated in the moonlight.

* * *

Ok, first time writing..well I wouldn't call it smut since it wasn't that dirty. I tried to focus on the emotional side, despite no experience whatsoever. Tell me, was it awesome or did I totally ruin it? Because I can take it out, rewrite it, and put it back in somewhere else. Any reviews (especially for this chapter) would be great.


	22. Chapter 22

They decided that they would stop by to see Sophie, work on the court case, and then stop by to see Remy's friends. When they had woken up practically glued to each other, they had to start the morning laughing. Cameron had never been in a relationship that felt so right.

The foster home was what Cameron had expected – hard tile floors, a multipurpose room, an art room, basically a YMCA with bedrooms. Needless to say, Sophie deserved better. They kept the kids separated by age, with adult 'supervision' for anyone under five.

The traditional flash of hair at knee level was the only warning, except that this time, both Thirteen _and _Cameron were attacked.

"Remy! Awy!" Sophie shrieked, latching onto one leg each. "Tell Ms. Cindy I no wanna go see lady!"

"Whoa, slow down munchkin," Remy replied, smiling blatantly down at the child. "What's this about a lady?" Sophie snuggled into Remy's arm, while maintaining a grip on Cameron's sleeve.

"Sophie! You can't run off like that!" A short woman in her early-twenties quickly jogged up to them. "I'm sorry, she's still adjusting. I'm Cindy McKellan, who are you two?" She asked, confused at the sight before her.

"Dr. Allison Cameron and Dr. Remy Hadley," Cameron quickly supplied. "We're trying to win custody of Sophie. Who's this lady she mentioned?"

They started walking towards a more private area. "Oh, you're the lesbians in the custody battle! You hear some about some crazy things, but I've gotta say your case was a first."

"Your bitchy attitude is you're working for minimum pay at a miserable job, so I suggest you just tell us who we can talk to here that can actually help." Thirteen said, not missing a beat with the bubbly blonde. Cindy was rightfully put in her place.

"Dr. Linda Bear, to your right," She pointed to a door. Cameron met Thirteen's eyes before they went in, still carrying Sophie.

"We've been expecting you two," Dr. Bear said, not looking up from her paperwork. She looked to be in her mid-40s, short but well built, with professional looking short blonde hair. All in all, she reminded Cameron of some metamorphic cross between Cuddy and Hillary Clinton.

Remy quickly noticed that they weren't the only ones in the room. A tall, elegant looking woman with sleek, black hair was standing beside the desk. She turned to face them, revealing strikingly cold, steely eyes, heavy make up, and an upturned nose. She was a mix of Morticia Addams and a bit of the Witch of the West.

"Ah, these are the two of them, then?" Her voice had an undeniable coolness and superiority to it.

"The life of the party," The blonde smirked slightly, feeling more confident. Just like Remy to bitch right back. Apparently, she agreed with her that this woman was just plain creepy.

"You are here to take what is rightfully mine." She said, examining her manicured nails.

"That 'what' is a three year old girl that you obviously know nothing about." Cameron confronted her, glad she had worn heels. Unfortunately this woman was at least 5'11".

"She loves chocolate, her favorite toy is a large doll I got her for her second birthday, and she has a small rectangular birthmark on her left side." She looked up and met Cameron's glare. "Do not make such accusations without sustainable proof, Ms. Cameron."

"That's Dr. Cameron to you. Frankly, I don't care how much you think you know about Sophie. She doesn't even remember you, so there's no way you'll gain custody." Cameron fired back.

Dr. Bear watched the exchange with mild interest. "Well, that's all fine and well, but if you don't mind I'd like to interrupt. Dr. Hadley, you are still her legal foster parent, despite the impending court case. You have the power that visitors to Sophie are denied under a legal restraining order."

"I unfortunately think that will be necessary, if this woman keeps up the harassment." Thirteen gave Sophie (who didn't really get why everyone was being so fussy) to Cameron and crossed her arm as a challenge. She and Soubise stared each other like dogs circling each other in the park.

"Fine," A hint of a smile played at Thirteen's lips. She had marked her territory, and set up the rest of the pack as guard dogs, waiting to bite this pure-breed's head off. Soubise walked out, botched nose still high.

Dr. Bear leaned back in her chair. "By the way," She caught their attention and indicated the stack of paperwork she had been signing. "You're drowned in subpoenas. Ms. Heap's lawyer will be cross-examining you, Dr. Cameron, your boss, colleagues, me, and anyone you bring to testify. I suggest you get a lawyer."

The woman stood up, gave Thirteen the papers, and shook her hand. "I hope you win, that woman is more prudish than my ex-husband."

The women smiled gratefully. "Thank you," Cameron said.

"See you on Saturday," Dr. Bear replied, "And you better not wear those suspenders. The judge is a stickler for formal wear in her court."

The brunette smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

First off, 20000 word mark! Granted, 3000 of it is little messages at the bottom, but still :)

So I've taken full advantage of the M rating and let them swear all they want in this relatively short chapter. I hope you all grow to love to hate Soubise with a passion like I already do. Thank you so much for all the feedback on the last chapter! I was only going to take it down if like five people said it was awful and totally ruined the story. But it apparently didn't, so yay! I've been really lazy writing so really expect a delay. Also, anyone notice how Cameron said 'we'? hint hint.


	23. Chapter 23

After a few outfits, her favorite toys, a paint set, and a bag of mini Oreos (which she practically gobbled up), and long hugs from the both of them, Sophie finally let them go. Good thing, since it was a two hour drive to New Haven and they were dropping by unannounced.

When they finally pulled up, Cameron couldn't help but smile. It was a rather small house, but it hammock in the front yard tried on tall trees and a front porch. The trees in the back yard in the backyard looked a hundred years old. What was odd was that between all this, the house fit right in.

"Remy!" A voice shouted. A woman in her early 50s came out from the backyard. She was big but there was sweetness about her features. Judging by the axe quickly tossed aside, she had been chopping wood. "It's been ages!"

Remy quickly exited the car and made a motion for her to follow. The woman enveloped the younger doctor in a great bear hug, which Remy returned, smiling. "Nice to see you too, Mary."

Mary then noticed Cameron, who suddenly felt a bit awkward. What if they didn't like her? The woman smiled warmly at her. "Please, come in. It's freezing out here and Teresa should have dinner ready by now." Cameron exhaled a bit then noticed how right she was. New England winters aren't pleasant. They headed into the quaint home.

As soon as they stepped into the living room, Cameron felt her legs attacked (yet again!), this time by a dark gray cat.

"Down, Smokey," Remy grinned, "I can't believe he's still alive. They got him when we moved on the block, and I don't know how long that was ago."

"Remy! I knew I wasn't hearing things!" A shorter, thinner brunette in her late 40s walked out of the kitchen. "It's been-"

"-ages, I already said that, honey." Mary interrupted. "Really, we shouldn't look forward to you dropping in so much, with all we've got on our plates."

"Oh, I didn't mean to intrude." Remy said quickly. Cameron smiled. She was so cute when she thought she was in trouble.

"Oh you know she's kidding, Remy. And besides, in the twenty plus years you've been coming, you've only knocked once." Teresa assured her. She gave her a small smile.

"What _I_ want to know," Mary spoke up, "is who you've brought along. You don't need to stand by the door, dear. We don't bite."

Remy slid her fingers between her own, and gave her an encouraging nod. "Allison Cameron," She managed, "We work together and are dating."

"Well we could see that," This Mary reminded slightly her of House, minus the lesbian jokes, of course. "And we'll be talking about it all through dinner."

"More like interrogating." Teresa said, right before the buzzer from the kitchen went off. "Oh damn, I hope that doesn't burn. Remy, give me a hand?"

"Sure," That left Cameron and Mary alone in the living room.

"Will she be okay?" Teresa whispered as soon as they reached the kitchen.

Remy opened the oven. "She's feisty. She'll be fine."

"You player…"

* * *

"So…" Mary started, leaning against the fireplace. "How long have you two been dating?"

"A week," Cameron crossed her arms.

"How long have you been ogling at each other?"

"A few months,"

"Do you know?"

Cameron looked up from the floor to meet the woman's eyes. "Yes."

Mary nodded slightly. "You're a doctor, so you know the symptoms. I saw what it did to Remy and John. Can you live with that?"

Cameron sighed. "When I was 21, I married my best friend who was dying of thyroid cancer that had spread to his brain. I've lived through it. I would never do it for anyone else again, other than Remy."

Mary studied her for a minute. Then, out of nowhere, she smiled and gave her a firm pat on the back. "I think you're a keeper."

Remy's head poked around the wall. "Hey, are you two going to come eat this delicious meal your womenfolk slaved over before it gets cold?"

"That's why God invented microwaves!" Mary said, walking to the kitchen.

Remy came back out into the living room. "She didn't scare you too much, did she?"

Allison kissed her softly. "If I say yes will you hold me when we get home?"

Remy smiled. "I'd hold you either way, and-"She laced her hands around the small of Allison's back. "-maybe a little more…"

Remy felt an abrupt, strong yank on her ponytail and yelped, "Ow!" She and Allison spun around, Remy clutching her hair. "Teresa! After all I've done for you!"

Teresa gave her a small smirk. "Pisses her off every time…"

Cameron couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll remember that."

They quickly settled into a friendly (and quite lengthy, after Remy mentioned Sophie) dinner. Afterwards they played chicken foot to everyone but Cameron's amusement, since she had never played. By the end of the night they were all sore from laughter and a little tipsy from the wine Mary had brought out. Of course, they had said, they would help them, and they couldn't wait to meet Sophie. Despite Remy definitively saying she was 'the worst, most annoying little brat she had ever had the misfortune to babysit', Mary and Teresa understood her almost desperate need for this chance.

The couch folded out, so they were lying on the thin worn mattress in each other's arms.

"How did we get here?" Cameron broke the silence randomly.

Thirteen's eyes opened slightly, "On the couch?"

"Here," Cameron said again. "Together, like this."

Remy sighed slightly. "You asked me out for coffee last week,"

Allison hit her forearm playfully. "Don't fool around."

"Well, we basically went from coworkers to raising a kid in a week." Remy recounted the events before meeting Allison's eyes. "I definitely don't mind."

The blonde smiled,"Then neither do I."

* * *

Ok, so I've got good news and bad news. Good news? There's a little bit of fluff in here! Bad news? I talked to a teacher I love about all of this, and she's going to read it. She'll see all of my little grammer mistakes! Ahh! But she really helped me out, so I feel inspired to write all over again. Which is good, since I only just finished chapter 24. I have a crazy goal to finish the story before the premire. Can I do it? I have no idea. But that means 2 or 3 chapters a day if I can! Aren't you all lucky. First time I've used OCs, so feedback on them would be great. I'm glad everyone loved the suspenders in the last chapter.


	24. Chapter 24

The days flew by after that. Before they knew it, it was Friday night. Cameron had spent the night almost every night, but they remained civil. They were moving way to fast despite dragging on foreplay, but stuff like this was supposed to bring people closer together. Going over a stack of papers as thick as a law book (Remy had ended up checking out 'Adoption for Dummies' from the library, too) was enough to exhaust them to the point of instant sleep anyway.

They were sitting at the kitchen table again. They had found a good lawyer, so they wouldn't be objected at every little thing by Soubise's sure to be overzealous scumbag.

Cuddy had called them in, just to see how things were going. From her body language, Cameron could tell that she liked Thirteen better than Chase. Odd, since an administrator shouldn't encourage dating. The three went out to a surprisingly pleasant lunch, where they discussed the case mostly. At least they could depend on their boss to help them out, since both of their ex-boyfriends seemed all too eager to testify for the opposing party.

It turned out to be surprisingly simple. They went to court, gave a testimony, let the other party's lawyers question them, the lawyers made their final arguments. The judge would then make her (the honorable Judge Petrovsky, and there were way too many Petrovskys to bother to look through) review it and make a decision, or have the results by the following morning.

Their character witnesses were Her, Remy, Cuddy, Mary, Teresa, the nice foster worker Ms. Sarah Campbell, and surprisingly, Taub had volunteered. The one representing Soubise had subpoenaed Foreman, Chase, and a business partner of Soubise's. Her lawyer also had the right to cross-examine any of their witnesses, as did theirs.

They had the right to look over any papers Soubise's lawyer used. They learned from these documents that Soubise Heap had known Sophie's mom and dad as her personal secretary and assistant, respectively. They had no family other than each other, but never made a will. They didn't even have life insurance. Allison couldn't fathom why this woman would want their daughter.

Allison was worried about Remy. She didn't like the fact that Remy was barely sleeping. Most of the last few nights, she'd find her on the couch with papers sticking to her face and the TV on low volume. She refused to take a break, trying to absorb all of this crap in a cram session. But it was her way of coping with all of this.

She couldn't really blame her. Most people would be insane like she was, given the situation, but it didn't stop her from trying.

"You should get some sleep." Cameron whispered just loud enough for Remy to hear her.

Remy raised her head slightly "I'm okay," She mumbled.

"You need sleep," Allison continued, trying to force it into the brunette's stubborn brain. "Or the judge will declare you incompetent."

Remy covered one ear. "Stop sounding like a lawyer, you're already too smart."

The blonde forced Remy to set down the papers in her hand and brought it up to her lips, kissing it. "It'll be okay. You know that, right?"

Remy nodded, or maybe her head just drooped. "Yeah,"

A heavy silence took over the room.

"Do you think we should go shopping?" Cameron said abruptly.

That got Remy's attention, "For what?"

"Christmas," The older doctor replied, "Presents for Sophie."

Thirteen ran a hand through her hair. "Damn, I knew that I forgot something. That bitch probably bought out Toys-R-Us."

"We could still put up a tree." She looked around the room. "All we have to do is move a few chairs and we've got a scene right out of 'It's a Wonderful Life'."

Remy chuckled dryly. "What?" Cameron asked.

"Nothing," The brunette said. Cameron kept watching her. "My Christmases just always kind of sucked. I was too young to remember them before my mom got sick. Three weeks after she died, on Christmas Eve, I came out to my dad. He didn't take it very well, and kicked me out of the house for the night. So I kicked over the tree and ran around the block a few times to cool off. I don't really recall too well, but Teresa said I knocked on the door at 3 am, practically hypothermic. I just spent the holidays at their house from that point on, which was nice, but my dad never acknowledged the holidays after that. I never did either."

"Same here,"

Remy's eyes widened. Cameron clarified, realizing how it had sounded. "My Christmases were awful. My parents would buy me anything they thought I wanted, so I ended up with a pile of crap in my closet that I sold when we went back to school. When I was 16, my mom caught me making out with my boyfriend at the Christmas Eve service. I was grounded for about a year."

The brunette snickered. "You made out in a church?"

"Right on the balcony above the fellowship hall," Cameron grinned. "It was my idea, too."

Remy looked over at the empty patch of carpet in the living room. "I guess we owe it to Sophie, and our terrible holiday experiences, to put up a little tree." They smiled at the little spot, then at each other.

"So are we going now?" Remy asked.

"I don't see any other timeframe that we _could_ go. The court time is 9 am sharp." Cameron said, checking the papers.

Remy's face glowed with excitement. "I've always wanted to go on one of these crazy late night shopping sprees."

Cameron beamed. "Let's go then."

* * *

Ok, so this was a filler/info/angst/intro to fluff chapter. I finished all my homework so I'm going to write for the next 5 or 6 hours. I'm just working out all the details, so maybe another update tonight or Saturday morning. Then on Sunday I'll try to upload 2 or 3. A question took the story in a whole new direction (again!) so now it'll be even better :) Also, I'm glad everyone liked Mary and Teresa last chapter! I actually forgot Sophie was an OC, because I think she's too cute and fun to write!


	25. Chapter 25

It hadn't been very good about snowing that year, but there were predictions of a white Christmas. They pulled on boots and buttoned coats -the brunette had a lot of shoes for her to choose from, including the extremely hot tall red boots Remy was wearing. By the time they were finally out and about, the night was only illuminated by shop windows and street lights, with a good inch of fluffy snow on the ground. Cameron loved snow, having done all the winter sports like the good Northern girl she was as a kid.

Remy loved her neighborhood. It was close enough to work, but just a block from her apartment building was the older section of town. It had a lot of little shops and reminded her of Paris with a small-town America twist. She had been in most of them at one time or another, so she got to hold Allison's gloved hand and guide her. She would have liked to walk more, with the woman next to her as her only needed source of warmth, but they had shopping to do.

"Do you think we should get ornaments or tinsel?" Cameron asked.

"Neither," Remy said, shuffling through some stockings. "Ornaments are like $5 apiece and Tinsel will get all over the floor. If it's a little tree, we can string popcorn."

"I love you and your smart shopping brain." The blonde quipped.

"I know," Remy smiled, "Are these okay?" She held up three bright red stockings, each with little puppy, kitten, or mouse head sticking out.

"They're adorable," Cameron took one and examined it. "Are you this good at finding clothes?"

"Have you seen me?" Remy said, smirking.

Cameron yanked one of the brunette's long locks, exalting a yelp from the younger doctor. "I'll kill Teresa," Remy mumbled under her breath.

"No you won't," Allison said as they gathered all of their purchases onto the counter and paid.

"Happy Holidays, ladies," The elderly cashier said with a smile. He was wearing a Santa hat, but without a beard he looked like the Saint's cousin.

"Happy Holidays," They replied, letting the door fall behind them.

At the next store, Cameron wanted to get a little elf costume for Sophie, which Thirteen practically ripped out of her hands. She then went into a long-winded rant about the superficial maturing of such outlandish outfits, which only served to amuse the blonde. They did find adorable red boots ("You two will match!") and vests with reindeer on them, which Remy again absolutely refused to be caught dead in. Cameron bought them secretly anyway.

By then, the snow was two inches deep. They decided to buy a bottle of red wine (they'd get plenty of free spiked eggnog if they stopped by the hospital over the weekend) and stopped at the small park, resting their arms. Remy cleared off a bench so they didn't have to try to get out of wet pants when they got home.

"Does this count as a second date?" Remy asked, looking up at the falling snow.

"Spontaneous shopping is the third date," The blonde murmured, also watching the flakes fall. "Introducing me to your pseudo-parents was the second."

The younger doctor turned, studying Allison's profile. She gently wrapped her arms around her.

"Not that I don't enjoy it, but why did you do that?" Cameron asked softly.

The brunette smiled. "You looked cold. And this is what you're supposed to do in the movies."

Cameron chuckled. "We should have a classic movies marathon, so I can see these enticing movies of yours."

A small dusting of snow had settled on them before Remy replied. "Are you worried?"

Cameron rested her chin against Thirteen's shoulder, nuzzling her scarf-clad neck softly. "Yeah," She sighed, "Are you?"

"Yes," Remy whispered, "A little. But I don't think things would have turned out like this if you hadn't asked me out coffee." She smiled before trying unsuccessfully to catch a snowflake on her tongue.

She laughed at her girlfriend's childish behavior. "We never did get some decent coffee."

"Do you want me to go searching for a Starbucks?" Thirteen asked.

"I'd love you if you did, but I won't torture you like that."

Remy sighed lightly. "We should get back, big day tomorrow."

Cameron kissed a snowflake that had landed on Remy's perfect nose. "I love you,"

Remy grinned. "Want to race?"

* * *

It was one am when they arrived home, wet and shivering. Remy had let Allison get ahead of her just enough to hit her squarely in the back. Allison, of course, had turned around and fired back. They had been up for fifteen hours, learned enough to pass a first semester law class, gone shopping, had a snow ball fight in the park, and laughed all the way home, but somehow they weren't exhausted.

The women shed their clothes and changed into warm pajamas. Cocoa and the wine sat on the counter, sipped momentarily whenever a body passed them. They quickly set up the tree (the popcorn ropes could be made tomorrow) and hung the stockings on a large cabinet. Cameron joked that the tree was 'Sophie-sized', at just less than three feet.

They both took in the sight before them: the clock in the kitchen, reading 2:04, the tiny, unlit (they apparently weren't good at electric work) tree, the poorly wrapped small presents, and the empty stockings over a nonexistent fireplace.

"High five," Remy said, shoulders finally slumping.

"Marry Christmas," Cameron gave her a weak high five, and both of them were out like the Christmas tree lights when they reached the bedroom.

* * *

I find it funny that as soon as I say multiple chapters and 2 or 3 at once, I get 2 reviews lol (thank you molly and Shelby-WakingtheDemon). Because I don't feel overly ambitious to finish it by Monday, I could stretch the court case out for 10 chapters over 3 more weeks. Convine me not to be evil. I absolutely loved writing this one, and I went over it about five times to make sure it was 100% grammatically correct, so I'm hoping. By the way, Remy's boots are from an outfit Olivia was in from a 2008 photoshoot. If you are as obsessed as I am, you'll be able to find it.


	26. Chapter 26

Cameron sighed heavily. Her back hurt. Her shoulders ached and her eyes were pleading to be closed again. She was about to alieviate the brightness when she caught sight of the clock. "Damn!" Wonderful was to start the day, cursing, "Remy, wake up!"

She shook the girl roughly until her eyes burst open and she scrambled up. "What?" Remy said, groggy from sleep and mildly confused, until she saw the clock. "Damn!"

They quickly showered and threw on their clothes, thankfully ironed sometime in the previous days. Remy firmly 'fought the power' as she said, by wearing suspenders anyway that matched her nicest slacks, a striped, fitted blouse, and a matching jacket. They had had fun going through Thirteen's closet, looking for something nice (and not too big, with her 5'5" frame) for Cameron.

Of course, the court wasn't waiting to see their outfits. Thirteen drove ten miles over the speed limit and they somehow got there at 8:45.

Their attorney sighed and walked quickly towards them. "Where have you been? I've been sitting up there for an hour."

Mary had found them one good attorney. Deborah Laughton stood a few inches taller in than Thirteen, with strawberry blonde hair and glare that would make murderers shake. Cameron suspected that the woman had a few tricks up her sleeve, with all the subtle smirking she did, but didn't ask. Maybe she planned to give Soubise's attorney a show in those three inch heels if he lost on purpose. The guy looked and acted like a total sleaze ball. Soubise was sitting in a mahogany chair, looking fairly uninterested in the whole thing.

The Judge was the Honorable Lena Petrovsky. Cameron swore she had heard the name before somewhere, probably on the news or in one of the thousand legal procedure books she had flipped through. In any case, she had no idea what the woman was like. If she had any decency and half a brain, she'd side with them.

The courtroom door burst open. "Sophie!" Someone yelled, and the women prepared for the tackle. Sophie's mess of brown hair ran straight into a shorter woman in black robes.

"Oh damn…" Remy whispered, not heard over the echo of Sophie falling to the floor. She quickly ran over to the whimpering child, who had quite a nasty looking bump on her forehead.

"Shh, it's okay," She kissed the munchkin's bruise, muttering more soft nothings,"Better?"

Sophie nodded. The young doctor was thankful she hadn't cried in court.

A stern cough brought everyone's eyes to the front of the courtroom, where a woman stood just behind the bar. Remy supposed it wasn't a good first impression for someone to run into the judge. "Ah, right," She said, "Sorry."

"You aren't the one who bumped into my arthritis-ridden legs." The woman said coldly, looking directly at Sophie. The munchkin hurriedly hid her face in Remy's jacket.

"Sophie," Remy said as softly as she could manage, feeling a little intimidated by the judge herself. "Can you say you're sorry?"

Sophie sniffed back up a massive amount of snot. Three weeks ago, Thirteen would have been repulsed. Today all she could do was offer her sleeve. After a minute of ruining the fabric, Sophie mumbled a tiny 'Sowwy'.

The judge rolled her eyes, "Really, you didn't have to cry. Crush my humanity with my own gavel, why don't you?" She muttered mostly to herself as she took her seat, high above the rest of the court.

"All stand, the honorable Judge Lena Petrovsky presiding." The court official stood by the witness box. "Docket ending 310, Hadley vs. Heap in the matters of child welfare," She couldn't have had a more blatant 'I hate my job' look on her face, and Cameron swore she said something else when she coughed 'honorable'. It lightened the air a bit as they all took their seats.

So here it was. She and Remy were sitting on one side, with Deborah. Sophie was seated in between Mary and Teresa. Their coworkers (dang, a lot of people had shown up just to see this?) were all there. How was the hospital even functioning? Then there was Soubise and her grease head, tweed clad scumbag. Observing it all was their judge.

She felt a warm hand on top of her left one. She slowly turned to see Remy looking at her, smiling.

"Well then, are we ready for the opening statements?"

* * *

Yes! I stole Petrovsky from the SVU universe (lets pretend she was never in SVU, since they watched in chapter 12 or somewhere around there) because I just love Petrovsky. I want her to be my stern great aunt or something. I was very tempted to make Alex or Casey their lawyer, but you can picture Casey for Deborah and Langan (must die) for Soubise's. And if you don't watch SVU, ignore all of that. Dick Wolf is so lucky to own them. And yes, I'm giving you two chapters. Now I have no choice but to write, since this is all I have written. Enjoy.


	27. Chapter 27

The opening remarks went fairly quickly. The lawyers just basically listed their witnesses and that their client should rightfully have custody of Sophie using ear-pleasing rhetoric. Deborah only took ten minutes to review her case, but Soubise's lawyer (Peter Hermann the defense extraordinaire) droned on for ages before the judge stopped him to save the court reporter's fingers from falling off.

"Ms. Laughton, are you ready to call your first witness?" The judge asked.

"Yes Your Honor. I call Dr. Remy Hadley to the stand."

Thirteen gulped. Ok, calm down. The only reason her coworkers were here (besides the ones testifying) were the ones who spent more time gossiping than practicing. She wouldn't in hell give them the satisfaction.

She quickly swore on the Bible (church from state, much?) and took her seat in the witness box. These court chairs were so damn uncomfortable. No wonder Petrovsky had arthritis.

"Dr. Hadley, please tell us how met Sophie." Ms. Laughton said, leaning against where the jury would have sat.

Thirteen took a breath. "On the night of Tuesday, September 13th, Dr. Cameron and I were working in the clinic. After attending to all of the present patients, I noticed Sophie in a chain in the corner. I went over and asked her what her name was, but she quickly fell asleep afterwards. Upon examining her, I noticed a high fever and admitted her with pneumonia."

"Did you get anything about family members, people she knew?" The lawyer questioned.

"I asked her if her parents or someone was there with her, but she appeared not to understand me." Thirteen answered, feeling a little more comfortable.

Deborah nodded slightly. "How did you come to be Sophie's foster parent?"

"After Sophie woke up, she exhibited some memory loss. Doctor Cuddy and I agreed that a psychological exam was necessary, and in the meantime we called Social Services."

"What kind of memory loss?" The woman asked.

"She couldn't tell us where she was from or who her parents were. She called me 'Mama', but that stopped after her fever broke. An extensive exam revealed nothing, so it was diagnosed as Dissociative Amnesia." Remy said.

"And could you tell the court what the symptoms and causes of Dissociative Amnesia are?"

Thirteen nodded. "Dissociative amnesia is retrograde amnesia, or the inability to retrieve stored memories and events leading up to the onset of amnesia, but not anterograde amnesia, or the inability to make new memories. In most cases, people lose memory of their personal past, even though they are able to learn new information and everyday tasks normally. The most cases, it is caused by severe, sudden physical or psychological stress."

"Could you give some examples?"

Thirteen sighed. "It could be PTSD, damage to neurons in the brain through physical trauma...or chronic child abuse."

"You lie!" Soubise shouted, quickly standing from her seat.

Petrovsky banged her gavel to quiet the muttering crowd. "Mr. Hermann! Control your client!"

The man gave her a grimace that would have looked more fitting on an ape. Soubise regained her composure and sat down like nothing had happened.

Cameron's and Thirteen's eyes met. This might be fun.

* * *

"Dr Cameron, could you tell us a little about your relationship with Dr. Hadley?" Hermann sneered.

Cameron raised an eyebrow challengingly. "I asked her out to coffee the night we found Sophie. We're currently in a relationship."

"Mhm," He said, walking back and forth in front of her. "What kind of relationship?"

"We're dating, moron." Cameron quipped.

The judge banged her gavel again. "Dr. Cameron, please save the smartass attitude for Judge Judy. Mr. Hermann, don't be intentionally thickheaded."

The lawyer brushed the admonishment off. "So you two are…dating. Have you been intimate?"

"Objection, not relevant," Laughton quickly said.

"People in such relationships shouldn't be allowed to adopt." Hermann fired back.

"Two adults can't have sex? I'm in trouble then. Take me away in the fluffy handcuffs." The redhead smirked.

The rest of the courtroom roared. Thirteen turned around in her seat to see a sight she'd never forget – a bright red Cuddy. She stifled her own laughter – no wonder House had a thing for her. After several loud bangs, everyone shut up. "Gracious! One more such statement on what a person does in their bedroom and I'm declaring a mistrial!"

She looked pretty serious. "No further questions," Hermann mumbled. Cameron stepped down.

Good girls 2, Bad guys 0. And they were just getting started.

* * *

"You lie!" My little shoutout to Joe Wilson, loser. And I really enjoyed writing the last part.

Ok, let me say how mad I am. Last night my mom thought it'd be a good idea to sleep with the windows open, so now my throat is sore and I don't know if I'm sick. In the chance I am (dammit!) I'm only posting one chapter. I've got one more chapter written but I still need 2, maybe 3 after that. I'll give you another if I start feeling better (the next one is the longest yet.)


	28. Chapter 28

"Dr. Foreman, please explain to the court Dr. Hadley's medical condition." Hermann said. This was probably the most important part of the trial, the factor being judged.

"Dr. Hadley had Huntington's Chorea. In short, it is a genetic neurological disease, most commonly onset is in middle age. It affects cognition, or memory and behavior, and is most recognizable by the patient's loss of control of their muscles. If a person has a gene, they will eventually develop symptoms. Death from complications usually occurs 10-20 years after symptom onset. There is no cure." Foreman explained with absolutely no emotion.

"That sounds terrible," The lawyer said melodramatically. "Please, tell me how this disorder affects behavior?"

Remy bit her lip and Cameron quickly held down her arm under the desk. "Don't let him bait you," She whispered.

"Irritability, apathy, anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive behavior are the most common. About 1 in 10 patients exhibit psychotic behavior. Behavioral changes usually manifest before the physical symptoms." He explained, straight out of a textbook.

"Is Dr. Hadley showing any of these symptoms?" Hermann asked.

Foreman crossed his arms. "She's definitely irritable."

"Objection, the witness was in relationship with Dr. Hadley. He is unfairly biased against Dr. Hadley because she dumped him." Laughton quickly said, earning snickers from the rest of the audience.

"Is it true that you were in a relationship with Dr. Hadley, Dr. Foreman?" Petrovsky asked.

"Yes Your Honor." Foreman said.

"Mr. Hermann, rephrase your question to ask if Dr. Hadley shows any irritability that would indicate the onset of her symptoms." The woman said, leaning back in her chair.

"You want to do my job?" He mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Petrovsky glared at him.

Wow, that was creepy. "Nothing Your Honor," He turned back to Foreman. "Does she show any behavioral problems that would suggest this?"

"No," Foreman said, "Not yet, but her CAG count are very high."

"And what is a CAG count?" Hermann asked.

"It's basically the number of times the DNA sequence 'CAG' is counted on the gene. For the HTT gene, the gene that causes Huntington's disease, a normal person has less than 28 repeats. For 28-40 repeats, the affected person's children may have a greater chance of developing the disease or may have extremely late onset of symptoms. A person with Huntington's has a CAG repeat of over 40. Generally, the higher the number, the earlier the age symptoms start. If the count is over 60, the person will likely develop the disease before they are 20, or JHD. Dr. Hadley's count is 55."

"So she doesn't have much time!" Hermann said so joyously that Thirteen made to stand up. Cameron quickly pushed her down.

"Objection Your Honor," Laughton said, seeing Remy's reaction. Petrovsky looked over at them. "Cause for speculation."

"Sustained," She said, "You're much too happy for my taste, Mr. Hermann. One more objection with this witness and I'll lock you up for the night."

"I'm done Your Honor," He said, still smiling like a toad. "He's all yours."

Laughton stood up and stared Foreman's bulging eyes for a moment. "So this is an exact science, the CAG correlation to symptom onset?"

"Nothing is an exact science, but-"

"So you really have no idea when she'll develop symptoms?"

"No, but-"

"And until then, it has no relevance to her being able to provide for a child, correct?"

"Objection, Badgering!" Hermann shouted.

"Yes but when symptoms _do_ start, and they will start, that child will be scared for life! You told me how you hated your mother, remember Remy?! You want to put this brat through that?! Put Cameron through that?!" He stood up, staring directly at her. She stood up too.

"Order," Petrovsky shouted, "Order in my courtroom! Bailiff, remove the witness. I'm ordering a fifteen minute recess."

Foreman kept staring at her coldly as he was taken out in handcuffs. A couple people left too, no doubt to get pictures of Foreman in chains on their cell phones and spread them throughout the staff.

Thirteen's knees shook slightly, and Cameron started to stand up to help her. Thirteen shook her head slightly, and walked over to Soubise in all of the chaos. Audaciously, she was still smiling.

"You think this funny, that this is a little game you're playing? It's my life, and I don't enjoy watching you putting it on the stand. Anyone could see that I'm a better mother, just in the week that I've taken care of her, than you'll ever be. This is far from finished, and your star witness in contempt doesn't look good." Hadley said with an amazing amount of control. It was obvious to everyone watching the exchange that they both wanted to start a cat fight. Oh, the power of feminism.

"Even if it's not a game," Soubise whispered, venom dripping from her voice, "I will still be the victor."

* * *

Ok, I know I said that this chapter would be long, but since I wrote all of one paragraph I chopped off part of it to paste into 29. I'm actually feeling worse today and still haven't decided whether or not to cough over my classmates. Glad everyone is enjoying this so much. House premire tonight! *tries to sound excited before coughing up a lung* I'll try to find some tea. By the way, I do picture Hermann as Langan!


	29. Chapter 29

"Dr. Cuddy," Ms. Laughton started, "Please explain your history with Dr. Hadley."

Cuddy looked at Thirteen a wary glance. The younger doctor nodded slightly, her eyes firm. Cuddy returned the nod – this wasn't her first time in court. "Dr. Hadley came to work for the hospital in a three year fellowship with Dr. Gregory House in the Diagnostics Department in September of 2007. She currently is working under Dr. Foreman, who took over Diagnostics in May 2009."

The redhead gave her a nod – she was doing fine. "Please tell us your role in Sophie's case."

"The morning of Wednesday, December 14th, I discovered Dr. Hadley asleep at Sophie's bedside. After waking Dr. Hadley and learning the situation, we agreed that the Department for Children and Families should be called. Later that day, social worker Patricia Johnson arrived and appointed Dr. Hadley to be Sophie's foster parent while the police investigated." Cuddy said. "Later on in the case, on Sunday the 18th, I called in Dr. Hadley to give her the notice that Ms. Heap was trying to gain custody of Sophie."

"Thank you." Deborah said. "No further questions."

Hermann stood up. "You sound like you two have a very good relationship."

"We do." Cuddy felt a lump forming in her throat.

"But you two haven't always, have you?" The man smirked. "I have here a list of times you've admonished and penalized Dr. Hadley."

Thirteen let out a small breath. So the slashing at her character began, through Cuddy no less. "Dr. Hadley inadvertently killed a patient in September 2007."

"That wasn't her fault, the patient-"

"I'm not done, Dr. Cuddy." The administrator wanted to strangle him with his cheap tie. "You reprimanded her for insubordination in June 2008, Suspended her for two days in October 2008, and in November 2008 she was out for a week-long hospitalization. Can you tell me about that one?" Cuddy remained silent.

The judge leaned forward. "Dr. Cuddy, answer the question."

"A man took nine people, including Dr. Hadley, hostage in my office. He demanded to be cured of a medical condition a dozen doctors couldn't diagnose. He tested the drugs we sent in on Dr. Hadley."

"And what side effects did these drugs have on her?"

Thirteen closed her eyes. She didn't even want to think about that day, much less have her colleagues judge her about it later. "The first one caused extreme pain, the second caused dangerously low heart rate, and the third induced kidney failure."

"And there was a fourth drug, right?" How could he be smirking about this? "What would that have done?"

"Ceftazidime," Cuddy started slowly, "It would have killed her because of her kidney failure."

"So basically, if those snipers hadn't blown up the wall, she would have committed suicide. Her boss of two years is in a mental hospital, what does that say about her sanity?"

"Objection, cause for speculation!" Laughton quickly stood up.

"Sustained," Petrovsky said, "There are no jurors to fool here, Hermann, just me. And I know the law."

Hermann still held his snot filled nose high. "No further questions."

Laughton stood up."Dr. Cuddy, isn't it true that upon waking up, Dr. Hadley requested to be in a Huntington's drug trial, expressing concern for her well-being?"

"Yes," The dean said.

"And isn't it also true that throughout Dr. Hadley's fellowship, you have reviewed her as, and I quote, 'extraordinary intelligence, motivation, and bedside manner, as well as a good connection with patients and her coworkers'? And that you've commended her on her 'willingness to go beyond what is asked of her for her patient's well-being'?" The lawyer read from the paper in her hand.

Thirteen's eyebrows shot up. "Yes," Cuddy said, meeting the younger doctor's eyes.

The courtroom was silent for a moment. Thirteen swallowed, in mild shock.

"That's all."

* * *

"Ms. Heap, please tell me your history with the child." Hermann had a smile plastered on his ugly face. He was probably sleeping with her as payment.

Soubise cleared her throat softly. "Sophie's parents, Matthew and Rebecca Belmonte, came to work for me in September of 2008. Sophie was the best behaved two-year-old I had ever seen. I run a large pharmaceutical company, but my job is rather boring. I told them I would be more than happy to have Sophie in the workplace, so they needn't worry about a babysitter. Soon, while they made my lunch, I made Sophie's. I became a mother figure to her, and Rebecca and I got along divinely. I was so grief-stricken when I heard about the accident. They were using my car, because theirs was in the shop I felt so guilty. Even though I never convinced Rebecca to make a will, they would have wanted me to take care of Sophie."

"Thank you, Ms. Heap," Hermann said, "Your witness."

Laughton stood up, smirking again. "So you took care of Sophie?"

"Yes, very well, if I do say so." Soubise smiled and adjusted herself gracefully. She was obviously trying to make everyone forget her earlier outburst. Apparently, this courtroom was the noisiest in the house, resulting in two press members in the back. Remy had all but banged her head on the polished table when she saw them.

"I see," Laughton said. "But she doesn't recognize you? Doesn't remember a thing about you?"

"I'm afraid not. It's tragic, but she'll recover." The woman said. "I know she will."

"So, even though you're practically a stranger," Laughton leaned against the bench. "This child is known for being scared of you." She held up some papers. "During her hospital stay, she was experiencing nightmares every night, and the one time she met you she was terrified of you."

"Objection Your Honor, the child is too young to testify so Ms. Laughton is putting words in her mouth." Hermann said loudly.

"Exhibit 3, written by Psychologist Dr. Andrew Baker, who performed Sophie's mental health exam. Are we supposed to take that as a coincidence?" The redhead asked, partially to Petrovsky and partially to the witness.

"Move on, Counselor." The judge said, not wanting _another_ fight better suited for the alley out back.

"I want to know the reasons you think you could take better care of Sophie than my client could." Laughton crossed her arms.

Soubise raised a sculpted eyebrow. "We all know the reasons. That woman is sexually promiscuous and unfit to care for a young girl. I run a large company. I work hard and have made something of myself. Sophie's parents would want her with me."

"Well they're dead, so we don't know what they want. Are you saying that Dr. Hadley hasn't made something of herself? She's a doctor who graduated in the top three in her class all the way through medical school." The lawyer challenged.

Soubise rolled her eyes. "Please, like she didn't sleep with her professors to get those grades."

"Objection, Your Honor!" Laughton said angrily. "I'm sick of having my client's name dragged through the mud."

"Ms. Heap, this is your last chance." Petrovsky warned. "Nothing today has convinced me not to leave the child with Dr. Hadley. Unless you have some legal reason-"

"I'm not _done_, Your Honor!" Soubise hissed.

The doors burst open, and everyone turned. Soubise froze half-way out of her seat. Cuddy's jaw dropped.

"Oh, please don't stop on our account. I come bearing gifts."

"Oh no…" Thirteen whispered.

* * *

Who is it? XD

I'm out sick again, so I actually got some writing done today. I will let you all go crazy now.


	30. Chapter 30

17 reviews on the last one...I died. Tragyk you got the 200th one, so you get..nothing but this chapter.

I know, I've been torturing you. Because when I uploaded 29, chapter 30 was pretty much written. Why are you even reading this? Get to seeing who it is!

* * *

"I'm back," House said joyously, "In black, no less."

His hair was shorter and he looked a little older, but he was definitely House. Wilson was next to him in a coat, looking absolutely shocked at what they had walked in on. "I know you all have missed me like _crazy._"

"Order in my Courtroom!" Petrovsky boomed over the restless crowd. "Who are you?"

"Gregory House," He limped up the isle, "Clean and free from that nuthouse with a reinstated medical license. And apparently," House glanced at Laughton, then to Thirteen, and looked down at the paper in his hand. "I'm a witness for the defending party of Thirteen and her love bug Cameron. I know I've been gone for months, but I know that neither you were pregnant when I left!"

"Your Honor, we had no knowledge of this witness!" Hermann said quickly.

"Yes you did, it's tucked away in the papers I gave you. If you had bothered to have read them over, you might have actually stood a chance at winning this case." Laughton said, leaning against the desk in her charcoal skirt.

"Your Honor, this is atrocious, I-"

"I'm done with this witness, Your Honor. I call Dr. House to the stand." The lawyer stated. Soubise's face was almost as red as Laughton's hair.

Petrovsky looked around the courtroom. "Apparently, Ms. Laughton, you will be on the front page tomorrow. Witness, step down."

"I'm not finished! That woman is a menace to society! I was a good mother, I deserve that child!" Soubise shouted before turning to Thirteen.

"Ms. Heap I am giving you three seconds to shut up and sit down! Judge Goddamn Judy doesn't have this many outbursts in her court!" Petrovsky yelled over her. Soubise shot daggers at her. "Dr. House, step up."

"For the record, I'd rather swear on the book with the 72 virgins." House said, briefly resting his fingers on the Bible.

"House," Wilson warned as he took his seat next to Cuddy, who still looked mildly shocked.

Petrovsky sighed. Why did she choose family court? The pay was higher, and for that reason only. "Go ahead Ms. Laughton."

"I'd like to point out that on the record, Ms. Heap said that Sophie's parents were using Ms. Heap's car." Laughton started.

"If you say so," House replied, stripping his tie. "Can we hurry this up? I really need to go install cameras in Thirteen's apartment."

Petrovsky looked like someone had killed her cat, but stayed silent. "Dr. House, please tell the court the extensive list of tests conducted on Sophie done trying to find the source of her amnesia."

House looked over the papers. "MRI, full blood work-up, CT, and Psych work-up, all run twice. Wow, you two are already worried mommies."

Cameron and Thirteen rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"See? How cute was that?" House said, motioning to his former ducklings. "I'm very understanding. If you have anything you want to run by me, I'd me happy to help."

The judge sighed. "Dr. Cuddy, is Dr. House always so charming?"

"Always, Your Honor," Cuddy said.

"Wonderful," Petrovsky muttered under her breath. "Continue, Ms. Laughton."

"Dr. House, Dr. Hadley mentioned neuron damage earlier that would cause amnesia. In your medical opinion, what other possibilities are there for this child's memory loss?

"Various cancers, infection, heavy metals, or drugs," House listed quickly.

"The MRI would have picked up cancer, correct?" Laughton asked.

"Yup," The older doctor said. "Also would show up on the blood tests. They would also rule out infection and heavy metals."

"But not drugs?"

"Well what else is there?" House asked sarcastically. "I _love_ your skirt, by the way."

"Why wouldn't drugs show up on the blood tests?" Laughton asked, shrugging off his advances.

"If the drugs weren't there," He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If there aren't any drugs in her system, then how-"

"Withdrawal," House answered. "Benzodiazepine withdrawal can cause emotional clouding nausea, headaches, dizziness, lethargy, sleep problems… that sounds a lot like pneumonia if it was combined with hypothermia, doesn't it? Also anxiety, panic attacks, and memory impairment… easily mashed up in applesauce."

Soubise stood up and slammed her hands on the desk. "You lie! I never hurt that child, I love her! She is mine to love!"

"Dr. House," Laughton said over Soubise. "Isn't it true that Sophie had bruises, but not in the places one would expect from a car crash? And that Sophie's DNA was not found in the car involved in the fatal crash? And after the police did a digital simulation of the crash, they concluded that Sophie should have been dead on impact because of the faulty breaks?"

"Yup," House said, "Creepy, huh?"

"You poisoned her?!" Cameron asked incredulously as she stood up.

"YOU BITCH! Shut up!" Soubise screamed.

She turned to Sophie, her eyes wide and her breath heavy. "Your parents were horrible people and deserved what they got! They didn't deserve you, I DO! I deserve a child, and I would have settled for a selfish whiny brat like you, but SHE," Soubise turned to Thirteen, "SHE gets in my fucking way! You disgusting little dyke, you think you have everyone fooled but I know better!"

The press in the back went crazy and the audience was stunned. Soubise walked behind the bar and tried to snatch Sophie from in between Mary and Teresa. Mary stood up and slugged her without hesitation, earning the flash of the photographers. Cuddy, who was sitting behind them, quickly got out of her seat to check that Soubise hadn't cracked her head on the floor (though she wouldn't have cared much if she had).

Amazingly, the woman jumped right back on her feet. "Court officers, remove that woman!" The two guards quickly pulled out their handcuffs and pushed Soubise against the bar, Mirandizing her over all of the commotion. Remy caught Soubise's steely gray eyes.

"You," The raven-haired woman slurred, "will regret this. I will destroy you! I know how to poison you three ways to Sunday!"

"Ma'am you are under arrest for the murders of Matthew and Rebecca Belmonte, the attempted murder of Sophie Belmonte, Perjury of the Court of the State of New Jersey, and Threatening. You have the right to remain silent-"The officer started.

"Like hell I will! I've done nothing wrong, I'll beat this and she'll be mine!" She yelled as she was forced out of the courtroom.

For a moment, the whole courtroom was silent. Then the clicks of cameras and battering reporters started yelling questions. Petrovsky banged the gavel repeatedly and shouted over the commotion. "In light of recent events, I am ruling that the child is to stay in the care of Dr. Remy Hadley while the police investigate the allegations and evidence against Ms. Heap! I want all press out of my courtroom! It's Christmas Eve for god's sakes!"

Thirteen and Cameron sat there, absolutely still for a moment. They stood up and hugged each other tightly. Cameron had tears in her eyes. "We did it!"

The rest of the PPTH staff gathered around them, along with Laughton, Petrovsky, Mary, and Teresa. Sophie jumped up into Thirteen's arms and the young doctor held the child to her body securely.

"I, uh," Hermann stuttered, "I'm gonna…"

"Hold it, Hermann!" Petrovsky said sternly. "Your court hearing to evaluate whether you knew about Ms. Heap's crimes will be tomorrow at 9 sharp. Don't leave the jurisdiction."

Hermann nodded slightly, seeing the 6 foot tall guards return. He quickly packed up his brief case and left.

House limped down from the stand.

"House," Thirteen said as he made to leave. "Will she be okay?"

"Studies show that there's little residual damage. She'll remember them soon enough to testify at the harpy-hooker's trial. Merry Christmas," He said and tried to limp out again before Cuddy grabbed his arm.

"House," She said. He turned around to look at her. "Welcome back."

He smirked. "I want a two week vacation." He looked back up at Thirteen and Cameron. "And I want pictures. How lame, spending my first day out of the nuthouse testifying?"

Laughton, meanwhile, was a little outside of the circle. Cameron caught her eye. "You got him out to testify?"

"I sent the files to him. A day later he calls me with a crazy epiphany and accusation of Soubise. The plan was to shake her up and adjourn the trial while it was investigated, but that bitch did my job for me." Laughton explained.

"Deborah," Petrovsky warned, "I'm going to need some very spiked eggnog tonight. Don't make me drag you along."

The redhead smiled. "I think we all deserve a day off."

Thirteen held Sophie tightly. "Thank you, all of you." Cameron kissed her softly on the cheek.

House rolled his eyes. "My suspicions were correct. If I had known you would dump Chase for Thirty-One, I would have forced you back on my team ages ago." Chase scowled slightly.

Before anyone could reply, Sophie leaned over and felt House's grizzly stubble. "Wouse!" She squealed.

House stood there for a second while the toddler felt his chin. "Thirteen," He said, "Control your 'Camteen' spawn."

Thirteen shook her head slightly. "Not before this becomes the hospital's annual Christmas card."

"Whatever," He mumbled. Everyone looked on eagerly at the cute sight, even Petrovsky.

Thirteen looked at everyone around her – House letting Sophie play with his cane to get her away from his face, Cameron smiling so beautifully at her and Sophie, Mary and Teresa watching with pleasant smiles. Cuddy was standing in between House and Wilson. No doubt that there were many things to talk about among the three of him. Deborah and Petrovsky were chatting lightly with smiles. Even Chase and Taub were looking at Sophie sweetly.

The child laughed as House waved his cane above her head. "It's like a dog with a bone." He observed.

Thirteen smiled. Maybe she finally got something right.

* * *

That's it! *prepares for the 'NOO!'s* but I may add one more little epilogue.

Hope that ending wasn't too lame. I never planned to have Soubise poison her, but it actually worked out! Those drugs do some crazy stuff. The biggest twist I had planned was if you take Soubise Heap and rearrange it, it says Sophie abuse. House was supposed to come back i chapter 8, which I know tortured a certain someone, and I never planned the love scene, which would have tortured another certain someone.

I've got to thank everyone who read, reviewed, and helped me out. Particularly iyimgrace, greeenraiin, Amazon Life, WonderousPlaceForAnEcho, Tragyk, Shelby-WakingtheDemon... forget it, there's too many of you to list! You know who you are. I never expected such great feedback. I don't plan on writing a sequel, mostly because this one took so long and time consuming, though I loved almost every second of it. As I've hinted earlier, I do have another multi-chapter story in the works. Its considerably more dark and less fluffy than this story. You'll see soon enough. I'm taking a break to get over this god foresaken virus and draw a bit. Thanks everyone again! I don't know how I'll live up to the bar I feel I've set.


	31. Chapter 31

Remy could slowly feel herself waking up, but she couldn't bear to move. The covers were so warm, and the small child in her arms was so peaceful. But…yes, it was getting lighter. She carefully untangled herself from the pillows, blankets, and other two bodies and pulled on something warmer.

She heard the soft knock at the door when she went out to the kitchen and quickly opened it.

"You owe me for this." The person whispered, looking just as tired as she was sure she did.

"I know, I know," The brunette said, "But you get to see Cameron in my boy shorts."

House rolled his eyes. "Wilson is making me do this, you know. He wouldn't let me back in his place until I did."

"If you really didn't want to do it, you would have gone to a bar instead of heading to my apartment at 5 AM. " Thirteen mentioned as they unloaded the packages from the hall closet and the box House had brought.

"I want a deep tongue kiss." He said gravely.

"I'm taken." Thirteen said with mock seriousness.

House rolled his eyes, frustrated. "Not from you, between you and Cameron."

"We don't do threesomes." The younger doctor said just as quickly as her first reply.

House scowled. "At least I'm getting a show." He said, watching her as she bent down to place a box under the small tree.

"Save it for Cuddy." Thirteen smiled. She looked at their work – actually hers, since House had decided to watch her and drink the wine she had bought two days ago. She looked at House, still looking pleasantly annoyed, and her eyes lit up. "Wait here,"

House raised his eyebrows, mildly interested, until she came back with an object in her hand. "No," He said sternly, "No way. I don't care if you let me stare at your ass all day. I'm putting my foot down."

"Not even if I'm wearing the outfit that goes with it in the pictures I send you?" She said, smiling enticingly.

He thought it over for a minute. "Being around all the crazies has made me soft. But if you don't, it's my clinic hours for the next month!"

A grin broke out over her face. "Put it on and get ready. I gave the pictures to Wilson. They'll be on your desk."

* * *

Cameron felt light kisses dotting slowly up her shoulders…neck, oh wow, her jaw line. She opened her eyes sleepily and kissed the owner of the soft lips. She licked her lips as soon as Remy's gave her a chance. _Cinnamon, _she grinned. "Merry Christmas," The younger doctor said.

"It certainly is," The blonde mumbled, cut off by another kiss. They stayed like that for a few more blissful seconds before a shrill alarm went off.

Thirteen's head shot up. "Damn!" She almost tripped on the stair out of the bedroom and quickly turned off the stove. The pancakes were almost totally burned on one side.

House was watching her curiously from the couch. "Why didn't you flip them?" She hissed at him.

"Uh, cripple here," He said sarcastically. "Besides, it burning them adds flavor."

Thirteen sighed. "Babe?" she heard from the bedroom. "What happened?"

She poked her head around, seeing Allison sitting up slightly in the bed with Sophie sprawled out on her lap. She couldn't help but smile. "I burnt the breakfast," Remy managed, blushing slightly.

The blonde closed her eyes and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Hey, I'm a better cook than you, I just got, uh," She stole a quick glance at House, who had taken to reading the newspaper on her couch, "distracted."

Cameron looked a little confused. "Do you want some cocoa?' Remy quickly asked.

"Sure," She said slowly, snuggling back into the blanket. She would have gladly helped her lover make breakfast, but who was she to object getting served in bed on Christmas morning? Remy walked back into the bedroom and planted a quick kiss on both of their foreheads.

As soon as she was out of the room, with House staring at her again, she smacked her hand over her face.

This only further amused House. "I love Christmas," He said haughtily.

Thirteen glared at him. "You'll make breakfast then."

* * *

Sophie knew what day it was. It was Christmas! Christmas meant presents and food and hugs from Remy and Ally. She jumped up out of Ally's arms and hopped out of bed, her little feet bang banging down the step and into the kitchen.

"Remy!" She screeched, startling the two members of the loft who were still dozing.

The brunette grinned as the child quickly constricted blood flow to her ankles. She bent down to Sophie's eye level. "Know what day it is?" She asked.

Sophie nodded excitedly, "Cwistmas!"

Remy chuckled. "That's right, Christmas. Know what that means?"

"Pwesents!" Sophie shouted.

"Ho, ho, ho," A low voice said. Cameron walked out of the bedroom to see the course of all the commotion.

"Oh my god," She gasped. There was House, her misanthropic, narcissistic, plain old evil boss in a Christmas suit. Well, not a suit, he took some tinsel from the tree in the apartment lobby and fashioned a little collar, along with a Santa hat, a red leather jacket, and boots. To complete the astounding look were his cane (painted like a candy cane) and a sack over his back.

"Merry Christmas," He said with a straight face. Cameron buckled over from laughter, and Sophie and Thirteen weren't doing much better.

"Santa!" Sophie giggled, running out of Remy's arms to hug House. He stopped her short with his cane. She grabbed it and he raised it up to his eye level. It reminded Remy vaguely of The Lion King, reinforcing her mental note to stop watching so many Disney movies.

"No," House sneered, "Not Santa. I'm the Grinch. I have green skin and everything."

"No you don't!" Sophie shook her head with more force than necessary, creating more knots in her brown hair.

House looked back over at his laughing ducklings/reindeer. "Really, I thought a kid with your combined brainpower would be at least a little smart."

"She's three, House." Cameron said, having finally stopped crying in hysterics.

"My kid would already be smarter than the both of you by then." He quipped.

"I didn't know Cuddy was pregnant." Thirteen stood up and removed Sophie from the cane. Knowing House, he would have dropped her just to see their reactions.

"No, it's Wilson's. We're very happy together." House said, daring them to laugh.

Thirteen just shook her head. "You can dump your presents and go find a bar now. I'll call Wilson."

He immediately dropped the sack and stripped the tinsel and hat. Before disappearing, he turned back to look at Thirteen. "Remember our agreement. Cuddy loves my candy cane, but I don't know if you can handle it."

The brunette rolled her eyes and Cameron just covered a confused Sophie's ears. Once the door slammed, the atmosphere became full of holiday cheer again.

Sophie tugged at Cameron's pant leg. "Pwesents?"

Thirteen and Cameron shared a smirk. "Not until after breakfast," The blonde said warmly.

"Pwesents!" Sophie said insistently.

Remy shook her head, "Breakfast first. It's so good that I'll be going on Iron Chef."

Allison put Sophie in the high chair. "And you'll challenge Cat Cora?"

The younger doctor started setting the table, smiling. "Maybe I'll go on Ellen instead."

* * *

The day had flown by, like all Christmases do after the presents are opened. They had bought Sophie her own bed; it was one of those new adjustable models so they could use it for two years. Also included from their coworkers and friends were various toys, baby books, games, movies. House (Cameron was amazed that House actually bought anything) gave her a large lump of coal and a shirt that said 'My mommies are hot AND smart!' which they chuckled at. Sophie had been so excited for presents that she shoveled down her food and got syrup in her hair, so she had to get a bath too.

They hadn't had much time to sneak away and get something for each other, but Thirteen bought Cameron and open heart necklace and Cameron got her black boots. Both girls loved both accessories and agreed to switch wearing them. Then the sweaters had been brought out. Allison was sure that Remy would hate it, but after a lot of prodding and avoiding the question, the brunette admitted she always liked tacky Christmas sweaters.

By the time all of the presents were finally opened and the wrapping paper had been cleared from the floor, they were both tired and Sophie fell asleep for two hours. That was the best two hours of the day. They were currently on the couch again, with 'It's a Wonderful Life' on low volume. Allison was lying on Remy's lap and Sophie was lying on her new doll's lap. Thirteen could see that it was snowing outside again. It had been off and on for the past three days, but tonight there were no signs of stopping.

"Remy?" The blonde asked softly.

"Yeah?" She replied, playing with the older doctor's hair.

"Do you think we should talk?" Allison asked, biting her lip. They both knew what talking meant- Sophie, adoption, moving in, their jobs, Huntington's.

Remy sighed as she mulled it over. After a moment she leaned over to retrieve a throw and wrap them both in tightly. Allison snuggled in deeper, enjoying the contact. Before the younger doctor got the chance to reply, the toddler stirred.

They both sighed slightly. Sophie, still half asleep, crawled into Allison's arms as Remy opened the blanket. "Hey," Thirteen said, seeing the blonde's let down expression, "If it weren't for her, we might have still been beating around the bush for a few more months."

This made Cameron smile. "I love you."

Remy kissed her forehead. "Love you too." She said sincerely. They would talk later.

The blonde felt a pull on her tank top. They broke their fiery gazes and looked down. Sophie was looking up sternly. "We love you too." Cameron whispered. The child smiled and hugged both of them.

Thirteen sighed. Everything was perfect for about five seconds. Her phone started vibrating loudly on the coffee table. Cameron quickly leaned forward and handed it to Thirteen.

"Hello?" The brunette said, annoyed. It was almost 11 after all.

"You're fired!" House shouted through the phone so loudly that Cameron could hear it.

"What? Why?" She asked. House was obviously drunk.

"I get to the office," He slurred, "And was going to wreck the Christmas party by making the pictures placemats. But I get up here and there just pictures of you sleeping taken on a cell phone! I want what we agreed to, Thirty-one!"

"What we agreed to? I don't remember. I'm tired House, ask me tomorrow when you're sober. Merry Christmas," She said cheerily before hanging up. _Now_ the day was perfect.

Cameron met the brunette's eyes and the older doctor turned bright red. "So…" Cameron tried, "when did you find it?"

Remy smirked. "Last week. I thought it was kind of cute."

The blonde groaned. Seeing how embarrassed she was, Thirteen bent down and locked Cameron in a passionate kiss. The movie on TV ended and they could barely make out the last words.

_The fire is slowly dying_

_And, my dear, we're still goodbying_

_But as long as you love me so_

_Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…_

* * *

*tears up* Last chapter.. It's been so fun. I guess I should have saved the note from the last chapter for this one. This was written in a bit of a rush, I'm not 100% happy with it, so I hope House was enjoyable. Personally I'd love to see House dress up as the Grinch. I skipped the whole presents scene because in my experience the anticipation and the evenings are the most fun parts of Christmas. I'm glad everyone has enjoyed this, it was so fun to write. This definitely won't be my last story, expect a new one within the next week. Thank you everyone again~!


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